Giant Spring Book Sale Starts May 9!

Presented by the Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library

at the Charlestown Public Library

179 Main Street, Charlestown

1st PICK FRIENDS PREVIEW*

Thursday, May 9 • 5-7:30 pm

* for dues-paying Friends of the Charlestown Public Library

Friends save 50% throughout the sale.

Not a Friend? Join today! (Annual Friendship Dues: $25 Family, $15 Adult, $10 Senior)

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Friday, May 10, 10-4:30 • Saturday, May 11, 10-4:30

Last Call: Monday, May 13, 11-5:30

Hundreds of titles📚 for adults, young adult, children

Great selection of DVDs and CDs. 💿

Cash, check, and Venmo accepted.

Dance Music of the Germania Musical Society Concert Recap

Thank you to those who were able to join us on March 3 for Psychopomp’s wonderful performance of the Dance Music of the Germania Musical Society. If you missed the event, please enjoy the recording of the concert and the review in the Boston Music Intelligencer.

Full length recording of Psychopomp performance March 3, 2024.

Charlestown's Little Free Libraries in the Boston Globe

The Friends were proud to see our Little Free Libraries featured in a February 6, 2024 Boston Globe article. We began supporting this initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure continued access to reading materials and a sense of normalcy in our community. We maintain two Little Free Libraries (one near the Harvest on Vine food pantry and one by Charlestown High School) and hope to expand this initiative elsewhere in Charlestown.

The Little Free Library at the Harvest on Vine food pantry at 49 Vine Street in Charlestown.

Dance Music of the Germania Musical Society - March 3, 2024

The Friends of the Charlestown Public Library are proud to co-sponsor Dance Music of the Germania Musical Society on Sunday, March 3, 2024, at 3 pm. The concert will be held at St. John’s Church, 27 Devens Street in Charlestown, and will feature the Psychopomp Ensemble duo-pianists Xiaopei Xu and Chi-Wei Lo. The concert is free and open to all.

Learn more about the historical significance of the Germania Musical Society in a recent article by Friend Lee Eiseman.

Chi-Wei Lo and Xiaopei Xu of the Psychopomp Ensemble

Join our Annual Meeting followed by an author talk on Edward W. Brooke

Please join us for a talk and slide presentation by historian and author Alan R. Earls on the fascinating life of Senator Edward W. Brooke, trailblazer and pioneer.

The talk will be preceded by a brief Annual Board Meeting of the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library, free and open to all.

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Thursday, June 22

Annual meeting of the Friends of the Library: 6 p.m.

Author talk: 6:30 p.m.

Charlestown Public Library, 179 Main Street, Charlestown

For more information: bpl.org/locations/charlestown, charlestown@bpl.org, 617-242-1248.

Wheelchair accessible; conveniently located near public transportation.

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The talk is hosted by the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library and Communities Matter! A brief annual board meeting of the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library will precede the talk. The event, including the annual meeting of the Friends of the Library, is free and open to all.

Local historian and author, Alan R. Earls, will present his compelling and informative talk and slide presentation covering Edward W. Brooke’s fascinating life. As the first black popularly-elected U.S. Senator in U.S. history, Senator Brooke made a lasting impact during the Civil Rights era and beyond.

The brief Annual Board Meeting of the Friends of the Charlestown Branch Library, to be held right before the Edward W. Brooke talk, is also open to all as well. The following Board officers will be reinstated: Christine Amisano (President), Elizabeth Clifford (Recording Secretary), Lee Eiseman (Treasurer), Lynne Benson (Membership Secretary), and Directors: Amy Bucher, Mary Curtin, Crystal Galvin, Sophia Moon.

Further background:
Edward William Brooke III (October 26, 1919-January 3, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1967 to 1979. A member of the Republican Party, he was the first African American elected to the United States Senate by popular vote. Prior to serving in the Senate, he served as the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1963 until 1967.

Alan R. Earls is a Boston-area writer and author who has covered high-tech innovation for more than thirty years. He has authored or edited several books on innovative Boston-area enterprises such as Polaroid, Digital Equipment Corporation, and Raytheon. Earls is editor of the Franklin Observer.

On January 7, 1862, the Charlestown Public Library, as it was then known, opened in the Warren Savings Bank with 6,000 volumes. Since then, the Branch has moved three times, first moving in 1869, to more spacious quarters in the newly built City Hall located in Charlestown’s City Square. In 1913, the Branch relocated to the corner of Monument Square and Monument Avenue. It has been in its current location since 1970.

Communities Matter!’s mission is to engage, educate, and connect with communities through programs, presentations, displays, and organized group socials.

The Friends of the Charlestown Branch of the Boston Public Library was formed in 1953, becoming the second Friends group to organize within the Boston Public Library system. As a non-profit organization, the Friends schedule four to six evening adult programs per year, helps to support programs for children held during the day, and maintains the library’s landscaping. The mission of the Friends remains today what it was in 1953: to serve as an advocacy and support group for the needs of the Charles

We celebrate Ellen Booker's 25 years of service

Charlestown thanks Ellen Booker for being a part of our community for 25 years! The Charlestown Public Library will be closing early at 4pm on Friday, June 9 for a private event to honor Ellen and her quarter century of service. Please join us in appreciating Ellen!

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling: St. Patrick's Day Concert

Join the Friends of the Charlestown Public Library and St. John’s Church on March 18, 2023 for a musical celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. This free concert will be held at 7:30 p.m. at St. John’s at 27 Devens Street in Charlestown and will feature Joshua Collier (tenor) and Liya Nigmati (pianist). We hope to see you there!

Little Free Library at Charlestown High School Ribbon Cutting & Celebration

On October 14, 2021, the Friends of the Charlestown Public Library were proud to hold a ceremonial ribbon cutting for a sponsored Little Free Library. The new Little Free Library is located across from Charlestown High School next to the Charlestown Community Center at 255 Medford St. In partnesort the library by curating new books for people to take and enjoy.

Scenes from the ribbon cutting officially introducing the new Little Free Library

Little Free Library is a national non-profit program that facilitates volunteers to install and curate lending libraries in their community. Charlestown is home to several Little Free Libraries where residents can browse as well as leave books for others. The Little Free Library outside the high school is curated for teens, with members of Turn It Around providing advice to the Friends to help purchase relevant books for that audience.

POSTPONED - "Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston"

NEW DATE & TIME To Be Determined!

Heroic: Concrete Architecture and the New Boston; joint presentation on Boston’s Brutalist architecture given by the Friends of the Library and the Charlestown Preservation Society.

POSTPONED - "The Glass Flowers: Marvels in Art and Science"

NEW DATE & TIME To Be Determined!

The Glass Flowers: Marvels in Art and Science; presentation given by Jennifer Brown, Harvard Museum of Natural History’s Glass Flowers Manager, and David Donovan, volunteer tour guide for the Museum’s Glass Flowers Collection.