Meet the Friends

THE MISSION OF THE FRIENDS

Our mission is to enhance our Library for the community by providing materials, services and programming not funded by the library budget.

Our History

The Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries was founded in 1952 and has been a cornerstone of our community’s generous contributions to our public libraries. We are a dedicated team of volunteers who contribute our time, talents and energy to ensure the Friends of the Wellesley Free Libraries remains an impactful and significant contributor within our community. The Friends sort book donations, organize public book sales, communicate with our members, advertise events and are friends in every sense of the word.  We work hard to ensure that our Library maintains its excellent reputation and serves our community at the highest level.

The Friends work in concert with the Wellesley Free Library Foundation to encourage private philanthropy on behalf of the Library. This strong partnership creates new opportunities and enriches the programming that makes the Wellesley Free Libraries such an outstanding community resource.

Your membership is important to our success and enables the Friends to serve the Wellesley community in meaningful ways. The Friends is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation. Your contributions are tax-deductible.


Programs We Fund

We are pleased to provide museum passes, children’s programming, musical events, author lectures and so much more to our community and fellow library patrons. In 2018 we proudly sponsored the public grand re-opening party for the renovated Fells Branch, a newly-created early childhood learning and literacy center for Wellesley’s youngest book lovers.

Learn More


Our Board of Directors

The Friends’ Board of Directors is the driving force of our organization. The Board is composed of a group of passionate citizens who serve as a link between the libraries and the Wellesley community. Their enthusiasm for the Wellesley Free Libraries is contagious. We are grateful for their guidance, direction and for spreading our mission throughout the Wellesley Community.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Shannon Smith

Vice President

Lauren Dunleavy

Treasurer

Jan Beaven

Asst. Treasurer/BookShop

Holly Mikula

Secretary

Lucy Kapples

BookShop

Susan Bannon

BookShop

Joyce Farah

Membership

Jenny Zannetos

Membership

Alissa Keene

Volunteers

Christina McCormick

Volunteers

Laurie Witt

Director

Caren Parker

Director

Ildi Nielsen

Director

Chris Oliver