Library News

Concord Festival of Authors: Keynote Speaker Jennifer Haigh: Why Stories Still Matter

Fri, October 23, 2020

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: Alexander von Humboldt and the United States

Fri, October 16, 2020

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. 

• Special Collections

2020 Ruth Ratner Miller Award for Excellence in American History

Fri, October 16, 2020

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.  

Concord Stories from Special Collections: A Hopeful Heart: Louisa May Alcott Before Little Women

Thu, October 15, 2020

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. On Thursday, October 15,  Deborah Noyes, author of A Hopeful Heart: Louisa May Alcott Before Little Women (2020) gave a presentation online. Click here to watch the presentation.

• Special Collections

Poetry at the Library Series Goes Online

Sun, October 04, 2020

The 2020 Poetry at the Library Series goes online! On Sunday, October 4, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m., poets Tommye Blount and Nathan McClain will launch the Series with readings from their powerful, long anticipated debut collections via Zoom. Register here for the Zoom link.

Elizabeth “Aunt Lizzie” Sherman Hoar Returns to Concord

Wed, September 30, 2020

• Special Collections

Personalized Reading & Movie Recommendations

Wed, September 30, 2020

We are excited to offer a new service to our community - personalized reading and movie recommendations. Just complete and submit a brief questionnaire and library staff will respond to you with about six personalized recommendations. The more information you give us on the form about your preferences, the better our suggestions for you will be. [For Adults] [For Teens/ Tweens] [For Kids] [For Movies]

Climate Preparedness Week

Tue, September 29, 2020

September 23–30, 2020 is Climate Preparedness Week. Join us for an online discussion of the film Call of the Forest on Tuesday, September 29 at 7:00 p.m. Take a walk in the woods with beloved Irish-Canadian scientist and author, Diana Beresford-Kroeger, as she reveals our profound human connection to the ancient & sacred northern forests and the essential role that they play in sustaining the health of our planet. [Register for the Event] [View Complete Listing of the Events of the Week]

Community Discussion: On-Site Parking

Mon, September 14, 2020

The Concord Free Public Library Corporation is hosting two open Zoom meetings to discuss accessible parking strategies at the Main Library on Friday, August 28 at 10:00 a.m. and Monday, September 14 at 3:00 p.m. Please click here for more information including the meeting agenda, preliminary designs, and the Zoom link for each meeting. [Read More]

Chronicling Concord Through COVID-19

Mon, August 31, 2020

The Concord Free Public Library is chronicling Concord through COVID- 19 for future generations! Concordians, you are invited to submit your stories, poems, haikus, photos, interviews, or videos that chronicle your family's experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read More]