The year 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of our beloved Friends of the Worcester Public Library. Since the American Library Association and libraries throughout the country will be celebrating National Friends of Libraries Week from October 18 - 24, 2026, we would like to take you back in time and share a little history of our very own Friends in this first post of our three-part series.
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| Friends Promotional Material, circa 1970s |
Welcome Friends!
On Wednesday, January 11, 1956, a monumental change came to what was then known as the Worcester Free Public Library: the creation of the Friends of the Worcester Free Public Library (hereafter "the Friends")! Nearly 100 years had passed since the founding of the library and after five years of contemplating the creation of a formal organization in support of the library, some of the former library directors decided that apparently now was the time to officially launch a Friends group. Initially, the first ever meeting was to be held in the lecture hall of the library on Elm Street, but interest in the new Friends group was so great that organizers were forced to move the meeting to Horticultural Hall (now the home of the Museum of Worcester).
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| "'Friends of the Library' Group to Be Formed," Worcester Sunday Telegram, January 8, 1956 |
On that day, 80 community members met on the second floor of the Horticultural Hall to determine the goals of the new organization and to elect five former library board directors to nominate a slate of officers to oversee the nascent group. Membership would be open to "all interested persons" and initially membership dues were $1 per person (with inflation, that would be a little more than $12 today). The lofty objectives included supporting the library and its library directors by aiding "in the efficient functioning of the library," advocating for the library to the city government, and providing "an orderly means for using specialized abilities and talents of the members for the solution of library problems" (Worcester Telegram, January 12, 1956, p. 2).
Over the years, the Friends would have regular monthly and annual meetings, where they would hear from speakers about library trends and problems. By 1962, the Friends had over 250 members and by 1981, the Friends grew to 550 members from Worcester and the surrounding area. The Friends finally obtained tax-exempt status by Massachusetts and the federal government in March 1979.
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| Notice of Meeting for the Second Meeting of the Friends, February 16, 1956 |
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"Nancy Burncoat's Page," Worcester Sunday Telegram, February 28, 1965 |
So how did the initial goals translate to action? The Friends aided the library through advocacy, raising money through membership fees and fundraising events, and sponsoring programs and library items that the library's budget did not fund. We'll go into a little more detail about each of these actions over the course of our series, starting with advocacy.
Advocacy
We Need a New Library Building!
One of the first tasks of the Friends was to advocate for a new library to replace the Elm Street location. The library had long outgrown the Elm Street space by the time the Friends were founded but it would take years before a new location for a library could be selected, the buildings on the proposed location could be demolished, and then a new library building could be constructed on that site (see our blog post for more information about the urban redevelopment controversy). In a related task, the Friends formed a committee to educate the public on the need for a new library building so that there would be adequate support for this expensive project. According to former Mayor John B. Anderson in honor of the Friends' 50th anniversary, "Those early Friends organized speakers, went to PTA Meetings, mothers' clubs, and legion posts. A petition committee gathered over 10,000 signatures" (Worcester Sunday Telegram, January 22, 2006). Construction on the new building began in 1962 and would take two years.
Attendees of the February 1964 annual meeting of the Friends had the opportunity to take an advance tour of the new library building at 3 Salem Square, which would open to the public in May of that same year. Our Main Library has existed at this location for over 60 years (aside from a brief two year move to Fremont Street for the renovation that completed in 2001).
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| Worcester Telegram, February 16, 1964 |
Spreading the News
How can a new organization promote themselves and increase membership? In 1962, the Friends published the first issue of their organization's newsletter. The sporadically published newsletter would inform members about the goings on of the library and the Friends organization. The publications helped share information so that its members could participate in the various activities and calls to action. Furthermore, Friends meetings and events frequently appeared in the local Worcester Telegram and Worcester Evening Gazette newspapers. Finally, the Friends would sometimes initiate mailings to encourage participation.
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| First issue of the Friends newsletter, May 1962 |
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| Your Library newsletter, Fall 2012 |
National Library Week and National Book Week
Advocacy for libraries and reading may take many forms. As you may be aware, National Library Week is an annual celebration that began in 1958 by the American Library Association and the American Book Publishers to celebrate and promote library use and the librarians and staff that work in libraries. Therefore, our Friends deemed it necessary to support National Library Week festivities in Worcester for years. For instance, in 1962, the Friends held a book review contest for junior and high school students, where the six winners received books as prizes.
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| Worcester Evening Gazette, March 2, 1961 |
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| Worcester Evening Gazette, April 7, 1962 |
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| "Reviewers Receive Book Prizes," Worcester Telegram, April 14, 1962 |
Advocating for Library Staff
In addition to advocating for libraries in general, the Friends would advocate for the people who worked at the library. Throughout the years, the Worcester Public Library struggled to staff the library because the underpaid professional librarians would leave the library to seek jobs at other institutions with higher pay. In 1962, head librarian Thurston Taylor wanted to attract and retain library staff to work at Worcester Public Library but it was difficult to recruit staff with the minimum salaries offered by the city. When Taylor advocated for higher salaries, the Friends agreed to fund $1,200 for a pay study that would look into what comparable libraries around the country paid their staff and how their classified their various employees (Worcester Evening Gazette, December 6, 1962). The results of the "Evans Study" would be used in future salary and employee classification discussions with the city.
The Library Wants its Books Back!
In 1982, the library was desperate to get its books back from patrons who kept them out longer than was appropriate. Cue a fun bumper sticker campaign sponsored by the Friends that announced, "Library Books Not Returned are Like Tax Dollars Burned." Pictured below is the Friends president, John Woodbury, with the first female mayor of Worcester, Sara Robertson, with a new bumper sticker for her car!
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| Bring 'Em Back, Worcester Evening Gazette, October 8, 1982 |
Advocating for the Library During Budget Cuts
Of course, it was important for the Friends to advocate for the library in good times as well as in times of crisis. The library would be forced to rely more on the generosity of the Friends to make up for things the library's budget couldn't fund in the face of rising budget cuts and the threat of Proposition 2 1/2. The Friends even attempted to stave off the Proposition 2 1/2 budget cuts of 1990 by distributing a petition for the restoration of the library budget, with 5,579 people signing the petition. Alas, all efforts by the Friends and other community members were not enough and most of the library branches were forced to close.
In 1991, the Friends held a Love Our Library rally, where community members joined hands around the library to give the library building a "hug."
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| "Big Hug for Library," Worcester Telegram & Gazette, June 20, 1991 |
Advocating for Library Renovations
When the economy and the library partially recovered after the aftermath of the Proposition 2 1/2 cuts, in 1997 the Friends conducted a survey on the proposed expansion and renovation of the Main Library. A couple of months later, the Friends advocated for the city to borrow money to fund part of the expansion project. This advocacy would translate into further action when the Friends initiated fundraising plans for the new project.
In Conclusion
The advocacy for the Worcester Public Library continues for the Friends in tandem with the Worcester Public Library Foundation. Check back next time for our next post on the Friends of Worcester Public Library and how their generosity benefits the library and community!
Sources:
"Annual Meeting Planned by Friends of Library." (1964, February 16). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. D1.
Blunt, R. (1990, May 17). "5,579 Signatures Mark Library Need." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A18.
"Candidates Back Main Library Renovation." (1997, November 3). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. B2.
Duckett, R. (1990, April 11). "Worcester Library to Close Branches." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A2.
"Friends of Library to Ask Council Back Plant Site." (1958, March 11). Worcester Telegram, p. 11.
"'Friends of the Library' Group to Be Formed." (1956, January 8). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. A27.
"Friends of Library to Mark 25th Anniversary Tuesday." (1981, March 29). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. 24A.
"Group Formed for Promoting New Library." (1957, March 4). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 13.
Griffin, G. B. (1998, February 10). "Library, School Dueling for Dollars." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A1.
Kennedy, H. (1973, November). The First Worcester Book Festival. Friends of the Worcester Public Library Newsletter. 9(5).
"Library 'Friends' Become Tax Exempt." (1979, March 25). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. 31A.
"The Library's Friends." (1956, January 15). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. A6.
"Library's Friends Celebrate 25th Year." (1981, April 1). Worcester Telegram, p. 13.
"Nancy Burncoat's Page." (1965, February 28). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. D1.
"National Library Week Will be April 16 to 22." (1961, March 2). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 22.
"New Library Will be Site of Meeting." (1964. February 16). Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. D1.
"Pay Study Planned at Library." (1962, December 6). Worcester Evening Gazette, p. 25.
"Public Library Friends Organized, 80 Attend." (1956, January 12). Worcester Telegram, p. 2.
Sullivan, K. (2006, January 22). "Worcester Library Friends Make a Difference." Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. B4.
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