Coming Soon!

Posada Navideña & Holiday Mini-Craft Fair
December 15

Holiday Shopping with the Friends!
If you do any shopping on Amazon this holiday season, please consider registering with the Friends' AmazonSmile account.  For eligible purchases at AmazonSmile, the Friends will receive 0.5 percent of the purchase price.  As an added bonus, if you shop on Amazon between now and November 2, Amazon will donate five percent of the purchase price to us (that's ten times its usual donation rate).  There is no additional cost to the Friends or to AmazonSmile customers. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for donation” on their product detail pages. The shopping experience is identical to Amazon.com with the added benefit that the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate that percentage to the Friends!  The percentage might seem minuscule, but this adds up if you are a regular Amazon customer who makes purchases several times a week or month, especially during the holidays.

Of course, if you just want to donate directly to the Friends, you can do so on our donation page or become a Friends member.  Every dollar and cent counts!

Roslindale Library Memory Journal!
The BPL is running the “Love Letter to a Library” public art collaboration throughout the library system with a banner on the side of the building.  This project is meant to encourage patrons to share their memories of the library and its importance in the community.  The Roslindale branch will be closing soon for renovations and it is even more important to record the memories of Roslindale community members.  A memory book is available now in the library rotunda for patrons to share their memories.

Growing the Network of Free Community Bookshelves

Do books inspire you? The Roslindale Branch of the Boston Public Library will be closing for renovation in 2019. While this is going on, we would like to ensure our neighbors of all ages access to books to celebrate the joy of reading and encourage positive community interaction. Here is one idea that we would like to propose: Adding more yard and business based little free lending libraries!

A first step is to find out what we have already and we could use your help. Please email us at [email protected] with any answers to these questions.

• Do you have a book sharing shelf or little library on your street? At what address or business?
• Can you recommend new business locations for library shelves?
• Would you be interested in learning how to build a little library for your yard?
• Would you be interested in volunteering to help grow and maintain this project?
• Do you know of organizations that would support this project through donations of books or materials?
• Do you have other ideas?

We would love to hear from you!

Join the Friends Race and Inclusion Committee!

We have heard how much you appreciate the programming we have been offering including the Globe Spotlight Team discussion, presentations by Hoda El-Sharkawi and Rev. Irene Monroe, and our popular book discussions with Josh Frank. We also have created book lists and reviews. Our programming will not stop once the library building closes for the renovation and we have more ideas about celebrating and uniting our community. If you are interested in helping to plan and produce educational events, discussions, and presentations related to race, ethnicity, religion, and culture with us, email [email protected]. 

Read a Book, Suggest a Book, Review a Book

We maintain a wide variety of topical books in our race and inclusion mega reading list for adults, teens/young adults, and children.  We also welcome any book suggestions, especially ones for teens and children, to add to this mega list, which is mostly comprised of titles recommended by community members like you!  This book list is meant to be a community resource that encourages thoughtful conversation, education, and respect for diversity.  Also, if you read any of the books listed and want to write a review, let us know.  We will consider review submissions for publication in our newsletter and website. Send your book suggestions and reviews to [email protected].

Volunteers Wanted

We are looking for volunteers for a number of Friends' and library programming.  Please view the job descriptions on VolunteerMatch.  If you are interested in any of the positions, contact us at [email protected]. 

Books of the Month
Each month we feature themed booklists grouped for adults, teenagers/young adults, and children, and can be borrowed from the Roslindale Library!

Books about Native American Heritage
November is Native American Heritage Month.  Check out this list of books either by prominent Native American authors and/or about the Native American experience.

Books about Holiday Cooking
It's that time of the year again for holiday parties and dinners.  We created this booklist to support your cooking needs this holiday season.

Words of Wisdom
Things which do not grow and change are dead things. - Louise Erdrich

Support the Friends!
We are a volunteer-run organization. All the work we do for library programming, publicity, and building improvements is done with support from the community. There are many ways to support the Friends, like donating, becoming a Friends member and even shopping on Amazon!

Contact the Friends
For information about the Friends, contact us.  We also share information about upcoming events, photos from past events and other library news on Facebook and on our blog!