The Friends of the West Roxbury Branch Library seeks to foster an appreciation for the value of learning; promote a love of books and reading; and support access to educational, cultural and social opportunities for the members of the West Roxbury community, through the West Roxbury branch of the Boston Public Library.
Board of Directors
Mary Louise Burke
Linda Denekamp
Bob Gaudet (co-chair)
Annie Fleche
Bob Gehret
Blair Hammond
Artemis Kirk
Jeanie Knox
Janet Kriz
Andrea Lassoff-Donahue (co-chair)
Gwynne Morgan
Mary Murphy
Steve Olans
Mary Lou Randall
Laura Rosenthal
Robert Strossi
Sheila Scott, Branch Librarian
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Anna Goettle, emeritus
Priscilla Golding, emeritus
Ron Gwiazda, emeritus
Carl Johnson, emeritus
Marion Joyce, emeritus
Judy Robbins, emeritus
Peg Sawyer, emeritus
Barbara Van Dyke, emeritus
The History of the Friends
The Friends of the West Roxbury Branch Library was created in 1974 when Fred Kerrick and Alice Hennessey convened a small group of library lovers to discuss ways they might be helpful to the West Roxbury Branch. The Friends worked closely with library staff and helped with children’s story hours and other special programs. As support for the organization increased, membership dues bought books and periodicals chosen by library staff.
The Book Sale
The first Annual Used Book Sale was held in the spring of 1978 in the basement of the old library building and the proceeds were used to purchase small chairs for the children’s story hour. Marion Deveau Joyce helped with that first sale and headed up the annual effort for the next 21 years. The Used Book Sale has developed into a quarterly fundraiser, with donated books being sorted and boxed throughout the year by devoted volunteers who have followed in Marion’s footsteps.
The Expansion
The West Roxbury Branch Library has traditionally had the highest circulation of any branch in the Boston Public Library system, aside from the central downtown branch. In the 1970s the facility—which at that time consisted of only the older, single-story building—was bursting at the seams, but space for expansion did not exist until 1973.
Disaster struck the Congregational Church at the corner of Centre and Mount Vernon streets on May 26, 1973, when fire demolished the old wooden building there. When the Trustees of the Church decided not to rebuild, Fred Kerrick worked with them to turn the land over to the Trustees of the Library to be used when the city budget permitted the building of a new addition. After years of effort, the addition was dedicated on September 24, 1989.
Today’s Signature Programs
With the expansion of the library, services and programming for patrons have flourished. The Friends has been instrumental in providing for the cultural, educational, and social needs of the West Roxbury community. Today the Friends programs include: the Poetry Contest, the Book Discussion Group, the West Roxbury Reads (WRR) initiative, and the Summer Reading Program for school-age children. Membership dues also pay for passes to Boston museums and the Franklin Park Zoo and subscriptions to an assortment of magazines and newspapers. The Friends contributes to the upkeep of the Reading Garden, sponsors the ReadBoston Storymobile during the summer months, and offers Mah Jongg classes as well as pays for Charlie the ChessMaster to teach chess twice a week.
As the organization grows, so do its plans for the future. Among other endeavors, the Friends has worked to supplement the library’s computer capacity for its Homework Assistance Program, which is dedicated to longtime Friend Linn Landraitis.
50th Anniversary Year: 2024-25
As the Friends looks to the future on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, it sees its membership and responsibilities growing and the needs of the community it serves ever-evolving. The Friends’ commitment to its roots of service to the West Roxbury Branch Library remains strong and meaningful.