Welcome back to the Concord Free Public Library! The Main and the Fowler Branch Libraries reopened to the public on September 21, 2020 for browsing by appointment. Please visit here for more information.
The Main and the Fowler Branch Library buildings are now open with modified hours and by advance registration after being closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Starting on 10/29/2020, the Main Library opens 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. The Fowler Branch Library closes between 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. daily for cleaning. The first hour of the day at both locations is reserved for senior citizens and at-risk individuals. Curbside pickup service continues at the Main Library. [View Library Hours] [View Library's Phase 3 Service Restoration Plan]
Concord Stories from Special Collections is a new virtual series that highlights the rich holdings of the Concord Free Public Library Corporation’s William Munroe Special Collections through stories about Concord’s people and places from a variety of guests, including Concord residents, scholars, researchers, and curators. Our featured guest for the third installment of the series is Victor Curran, who writes, teaches, and leads tours of historic Concord. His presentation is Emerson’s Muses: Mary Moody Emerson and Sarah Bradford Ripley. [Watch Presentation]
On Sunday, November 8, 2020 at 3:00 p.m., the Concord Virtual Poetry at the Library Series will host acclaimed Massachusetts poets Jeffrey Harrison and Matthew Lippman who will read from their powerful new collections and talk about their writing lives and the impact of the current times on the creative process. [Register here for the Zoom link]
The 2020 Concord Festival of Authors takes place from October 16 - 31 online. The Concord Free Public Library, the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and the Concord Free Public Library Corporation continue to be the proud partners of the Festival. [View Complete Event Schedule] [View Festival Home Page]
The Main Library's contactless curbside pickup service started on June 8, 2020. Patrons are now able to reserve books and other materials from the Concord Free Public Library and the Minuteman Library Network for pickup at a designated time on tables outside the Sudbury Road entrance. Pickup hours are Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 5:45 p.m. [Read More] [Book My Pickup]
The 2020 Concord Festival of Authors presents mystery authors Charlene D’Avanzo, Kaitlyn Dunnett and Edwin Hill on Saturday, October 31 at 7:00 pm on Zoom to discuss the mysterious act of crafting characters. Join us for this popular annual event hosted by celebrated mystery writer and Concord resident Kate Flora. [Register for the Zoom link]
The Festival features Keynote Speaker Jennifer Haigh: Why Stories Still Matter on Friday, October 23, 2020, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. via Zoom. In a time of national crisis – political, medical, financial, environmental and moral – storytelling is more important than ever. Bestselling novelist Jennifer Haigh talks about what literature has to teach us, and why it is urgently necessary in these troubled times. [Register for the Zoom link]
Concord Stories from Special Collections is a new virtual series that highlights the rich holdings of the Concord Free Public Library Corporation’s William Munroe Special Collections through stories about Concord’s people and places from a variety of guests, including Concord residents, scholars, researchers, and curators. The featured guest for our first installment on October 1, 2020 at 7:00 p.m., was Dr. Eleanor Harvey, the senior curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Click here to watch the premiere of Concord Stories.
The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library will present the 2020 Ruth Ratner Miller Award to recipient Jill Lepore on Friday, October 16 at 7:00 p.m. online. The event will kick off this year's Concord Festival of Authors (October 16 - 31). Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University, a staff writer at The New Yorker and a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. Read more and register for the event.
