Become a Member Today!
We would like to invite you to join the Friends of the Northborough Library. Membership is open to all; residents from neighboring towns are welcome to join.
The Friends board meets the last Wednesday of the month, Jan-Nov. Meetings are open to all active Friends members who will receive an agenda and Zoom link, as needed, a couple of days prior to the meeting. In-person meetings are held at 7pm, in the Library Conference Room.
Your membership includes:
- An electronic monthly newsletter - The Gale Forecast
- Announcements of Special Library events
- Book Sale Preview
- Members who are not Northborough residents will have access to the Library Museum passes
Your contribution will continue to fund acquisitions and activities for our library and extend the cultural life of our community. Friends of the Northborough Library is a nonprofit charitable organization (501(c)(3)).
If you would like to join the Friends of the Northborough Library, please click here, or download the membership form (attached below) and mail it to the Library at:
Friends of the Northborough Free Library, Inc.
34 Main Street
Northborough, MA 01532
Thank you for your support!
Volunteer with the Friends
Would you like to donate your time to help the library? The Friends are always looking for teen and adult volunteers to help with our fundraising booksale events! Please contact the Friends at the email below to inquire about upcoming opportunities. Please note that your Friends volunteer hours may be eligible to meet requirements for school programs or employer volunteer programs. You do not need to be a member of the Friends to volunteer. Hope to see you soon!
Upcoming Events
The Holiday Trolley Booksale will be on December 6 & 7, 2024. Our ever-popular sale featuring high quality books for kids, adults and teens will occur, despite a continuing lack of the trolley itself. We've spent the year saving up books for this sale. Our books are used, but (shhhh) gift quality, for a fraction of the original cost of the book. We have fewer books than our usual book sales, and the prices are higher--$2.50/book.
The sale is Friday, December 6 from noon-5 PM and Saturday, December 7th, from 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM, at the Northborough Library, 34 Main Street. There will be a Children's drop-in craft from noon-3PM. At 5 PM the Northborough Community Affairs Committee will hold the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting at Blake Street. We hope you can come spend some time with us this holiday season.
Look for our upcoming sales in 2025:
Super Booksale-Feb. 7-8, 2025
Big Big BIG Booksale-March 12-15, 2025
We are now accepting donations of books and media in good condition on Wednesdays from 9:30am - 8:30pm in the library. Please bring them into the library and the Circ Desk staff will direct you. Limit 3 bags/boxes per donation.
The Friends of Northborough Library typically hold numerous events throughout the year. Here are just a few of our annual events:
- Big March Book Sale
- Spring Basket Raffle in May
- Applefest Book Sale in September
- Children's Book & Media Sale in October
- On-going Book Sale Shelves
- Holiday Trolley Book Sale
Donate Materials
Wednesdays are Donation Days!
If you have used books, DVDs, music CDs, etc. that you would like to donate to the Library for the Friends of the Library's book sales, you can bring those items to the Library any time during library hours on Wednesdays (9:30am-8:30pm). Please only bring in donations on Wednesdays as that is when our volunteer who sorts and moves all of these items is in the building. Due to space constraints, please limit the amount of donations you bring in at any one time to no more than 3 bags or boxes per household.
We accept donations of most items as long as they are in good condition with a few exceptions:
- textbooks more than five years old
- encyclopedias
- Readers Digest condensed books
- magazines
- VHS or cassette tapes
- Vinyl LPs
- Books MUST be in good condition-no musty, damaged, or chewed upon books!
If you have questions about donating any used books or media items, please contact the Friends of the Library by email at friendsnorthboroughlibrary@gmail.com.
Contact the Friends
Contact us to learn more about the Friends of Northborough Library!
Northborough Free Library: (508) 393-5025
Email: friendsnorthboroughlibrary@gmail.com
Current Officers
President: Desiree Powell
Treasurer: Stephanie Nardone
Clerk: Ellen Church
Membership Director: Lisa Gardner
Members at Large
Pat Bleecher
Charlene Gaca
Chris Hodge
Allysa Zemke
About the Friends of the Northborough Library
Mission Statement
The Friends of the Northborough Library, Inc. is a non-profit, educational organization dedicated to providing both financial and volunteer assistance to the Northborough Free Library.
What We Do
The Friends of the Northborough Library are the primary support for all Library programming (this would link to our events page), which is made available at no cost to the community. Each year, the library hosts over 200 programs for residents of all ages for a wide variety of interests. Funding for story times, craft workshops, social groups, informative lectures, and the library Summer Reading programs, which typically enroll over 1,000 participants annually, is all made possible through our funding.
The Friends also pay for a variety of Museum Passes (this would link to our Pass page) that allow residents and members of the Friends to enjoy local attractions at a reduced price.
Additional purchases for the Library vary from year to year. In 2023, the Friends purchased new furniture for the Lobby, making the library entrance more inviting and browsable. We also donated funds for two device charging stations, and purchased chairs for a new programming room located on the second floor of the library. We also donate funds to keep the Children’s Room stocked with crafts, toys, and other supplies to keep our youngest patrons engaged and excited to come to the library.
Our History
Founded in the 1970's, the Friends are an active part of the Northborough Library. The Friends sponsor programs and make purchases that cannot be covered by the town budget.
Over the past years, the Friends have sponsored an annual Basket Raffle and a number of used book sales as our primary fundraising activities. In 2003, we joined with the Northborough Historical Society to present a cemetery tour featuring actors playing the parts of long-ago residents of the town. We have also participated in the annual Applefest event in Northborough. Additionally, the Friends have hosted legislative breakfasts that bring together our local state legislators and people involved in library issues.
The ribbon cutting ceremony at the library grand re-opening event on Sunday March 15, 2009.