The Friends

The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library is a nonprofit, charitable organization that supports the library’s vital role in our community. For over 50 years and through the generosity of our community, the Friends have helped the library offer a variety of enhanced services and creative programs for all ages.

Join the Friends

As a member of the Friends, you have access to booksale pre-sales, receive news highlighting library happenings, special program announcements, as well as invitations to member events. Our members elect our Board of Directors at our Annual Meeting each May. We rely on countless volunteers help our operations continue. Email the Friends to volunteer!

To join the all-volunteer Friends, download our Membership Form and mail it in or become a member online. Membership must be renewed annually. 

 

 

Current Friends Officers:

  • Matt Boger, President
  • Stephan & Faith Bader, Co-Treasurers
  • Janet Kaminstein, Booksales
  • Richard Fahlander, Membership
  • Betsy Levinson, Publicity 
  • E. Glenn Mitchell, Poetry Series
  • Rebecca Lemaitre, Events​
  • Hayley Maybury, Events 
  • Erin Piro, Clerk
  • Laurie O'Neill  Member-at-large
  • Amy Beamer Member-at-large

Connect with us!

Email the Friends at friends@concordlibrary.org or follow the Friends on Facebook!

What Do the Friends Do for the Library?

  • Author, Film, Music & Poetry Events

    The Friends of the Library sponsor a variety of cultural series. Upcoming events can be found on the Library calendar.

    Author Events

    Inspiring and topically relevant author readings throughout the year. We have hosted distinguished historians such as Drew Gilpin Faust, Nathaniel Philbrick, and Doris Kearns Goodwin, as well as recipients of the Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in American History.

    Films at Fowler

    Films at Fowler is an ongoing free movie-viewing and movie-discussion program sponsored by the Friends. We watch selected movies on Kanopy (a free movie viewing app and resource available through local libraries), and then we gather on Zoom for a lively discussion of each movie. The movies we watch and discuss are critically acclaimed films from Hollywood and around the world - both contemporary and classic—that are chosen for their ability to entertain, educate and inspire. For more information on the Films at Fowler program, please contact the coordinator at FilmsAtFowler@ConcordLibrary.org. 

    Films at Fowler is a free event sponsored by the Friends and have traditonally included popcorn and refreshments when we were meeting in person. Now that we leverage Kanopy (free app from the library) for self viewing, you may join the lively discussion of the movie with our resident film expert in the comfort of your own homw. All films are critically acclaimed international films carefully selected by the Film Program Coordinator that invite conversation after each film.

    Music on the Lawn

    Music on the Lawn or Concert on the Lawn is a free enjoyable, notable and diverse music offerings on the Main Library front lawn on select Wednesdays during the summer at 7 PM. Please refer to

    Poetry at the Library

    The Poetry at the Library Series brings established and emerging poets to the Concord Library community. Each year, the Friends host six to seven readings with Q&A, followed by book signings and light refreshments. Most readings occur on Sundays at 3 PM in the Main Library, with an occasional Saturday evening poetry event.

  • Book Sales & Donations

    Book Sales

    ​Our year-round book shelves - The Friends Book Shop - is open at both our Main & Fowler branch libraries. Self check-out your choice of both children's and adult assortment of gently used books for sale year-round.

    The Friends' Holiday and June book sales are our biggest sources of revenue as well as being much loved community events. The heart and soul of this year-round operation is a team of over a dozen enthusiastic volunteers who sort the many volumes donated to the Friends each year and prepare them for the book sales.  

    Book Donations

    Our community Books Sales are a success thanks to the generosity of community members who donate their gently used books year round. If you would like to donate your books, you may do so at the Main Library near the Sudbury Road entrance. If you have a large donation of books, please borrow the rolling bin from our Circulation Desk to wheel to your vehicle. For assistance or inquires about donations, please email the Friends of the Library to coordinate an appointment. Books may be donated year round.

    Sorters Needed!

    Donated books are curated year-round by our dedicated group of Sorters. We are looking for new Sorters who might be able to help ad-hoc or weekly during the following times. Please email us to volunteer!
    9:30-11:30 AM Tuesday and Friday mornings for Adult Books
    1-4:30 PM Thursday afternoons for Childrens Books

    Sorters select books for our sales based on many criteria including condition, demand, and quantity. Books not chosen for the sales are further donated to other community organizations in Concord and surrounding towns.

  • Children's Events

    A host of programs organized by the Library for the children in our community are sponsored by the Friends. In addition, the Friends provide books for the children of the guests at Open Table in Concord and Maynard as well as to the Prison Outreach Program.

  • Concord Festival of Authors

    Please visit our Concord Festival of Authors website for further details on past and future line-up of authors.

    Volunteer for the Concord Festival of Authors online or by emailing the Friends.

  • Museum Passes

    Unless otherwise noted, all Library Museum Passes are funded by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library and may be used for free or reduced admission. Please contact the Library if you have suggestions on museums that you would like to see added to our list. Existing passes include Boston Children’s Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, and many others.

  • Professional Development

    The Friends fund professional development opportunities to our beloved Library staff each year.

  • Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award

    The Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in American History has been presented by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library annually since 2001. The award was offered to the Concord Library by Concord resident Richard Miller, to honor the legacy of his mother, a founding member of the Holocaust Commission and Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. Dr. Ruth Ratner Miller believed that learning history was not merely desirable but a civic and religious duty.

    The winner of the 2024 Ruth Ratner Miller Memorial Award for Excellence in American History is Jacqueline Jones.

    Videos of many of our winners can be seen on the YouTube Ruth Ratner Miller Award playlist.

    Past Miller Award recipients:
    1998 Stephen Ambrose
    1999 James M. McPherson
    2000 Thomas H. O'Connor
    2001 Daniel J. Boorstin
    2002 Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
    2003 Sandra Day O'Connor
    2004 Edmund S. Morgan
    2005 David Halberstam
    2006 Doris Kearns Goodwin
    2007 John Hope Franklin
    2008 David Hackett Fischer
    2009 David Herbert Donald
    2010 Bernard Bailyn
    2011 Pauline Maier
    2012 Eric Foner
    2013 Drew Gilpin Faust
    2014 Nathaniel Philbrick
    2015 Robert Dallek
    2016 Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
    2017 Gordon S. Wood
    2018 Annette Gordon-Reed
    2019 John Stauffer
    2020 Jill Lepore
    2021 Heather Cox Richardson
    2022 Sean Wilentz
    2023 Robert A. Gross
    2024 Jacqueline Jones