Fowler Branch Library
FOWLER BRANCH
1322 Main Street, Concord, MA 01742
(978) 318-3350
Sunday: Closed
Monday – Thursday: 10-6
Friday: 9-5
Saturday: 9-5 (closed July & August)
In 1918, residents of West Concord, feeling that the distance between West Concord and Concord Center limited their access to the Library’s collections, petitioned for a branch library. A year later, the West Concord Branch opened in one room of the West Concord Grammar School.
In 1928, through a bequest of Loring Nixon Fowler (1855-1921) — the well-liked owner of a general store on Commonwealth Avenue in Concord Junction — the Library Corporation began the process of building a separate Library on a lot at the corner of Main and Church Streets, purchased from Town of Concord. This building — the Loring N. Fowler Memorial Library — was designed by architect Harry Little and was dedicated on May 18, 1930. Architect David Holdorf designed the subsequent expansion of the building in 1996. The Fowler Branch underwent another expansion and renovation in 2010 with financial contributions from the local community.
Located on Main Street in West Concord, the Fowler Branch serves hundreds of patrons with a popular collection (close to 50,000 volumes) of books, books-on-CD, DVDs, newspapers and magazines. Programming at the Fowler Library includes Friday Flicks at Fowler presented by the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library, book discussions and dynamic children’s programs.
The Library is supported by a combination of public and private funding. The governance of the Library is provided by the Library Committee of the Town of Concord, the Library Corporation, and the Friends of the Concord Free Public Library. Click on below links to their individual web pages. The Corporation owns and presides over the two library buildings and the endowed funds that provide for them, and holds and maintains valuable manuscripts, archival records, books, and other special collections. The Town, the Corporation, and the Friends contribute to the purchase of books and media for the circulating and reference collections.
Volunteering at the Library
Our volunteers help the staff with many varied tasks at both the Main Library and the Fowler Branch. New volunteers are always welcome. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please stop by at the Reference Desk in the Main Library to complete a Volunteer Application Form. The Town of Concord conducts background checks for all volunteer applicants that are 18 years old or older. If you are 18 or older, please visit either the Main Library or Fowler Branch to complete the CORI background check consent form and to show your state identification. Once the application and background checks are complete, a member of the library staff will meet with the new volunteer to set up a schedule. Volunteer schedules can be very flexible.
Call 978-318-3347 during library hours to learn more about volunteering at the Concord Free Public Library.
Volunteering with the Friends
The Friends of the Concord Free Public Library encourage engagement through our programs, including our Music, Film, Poetry and Author Series, as well as our two annual book sales and the Miller Award. Details on each of these can be found here under Program Offerings. Specific volunteer opportunities are listed below, but please feel free to email us at friends@concordlibrary.org about any volunteer idea you may have
Sorters – A group of dedicated volunteers called the Sorters work weekly to filter through all of the books donated to the library to prepare them for the Book Sales.
Book Sales – The Friends’ 2020 June Book Sale will take place Saturday, June 6th (9AM-4PM), rain date Saturday, June 13th.
We will provide a Sign-up Genius twice per year for specific volunteer assignments for the June and December book sales. Volunteer time slots are allocated to table and book setup, tear-down, as well as cashiers and other organizers for the events. Look for the Sign-up Genius 1 to 2 months before each book sale via our webpage, or email us to be added directly to the email list. Additionally, we act as cashiers for book sales during author events throughout the year. Please let us know if this is of interest to you. The events are typically on a weekday evening or a Sunday afternoon (Poetry) and require about 2 hours of your time.
CCHS Study days – June Study Day to be announced, CORI’d volunteers needed between 10:00 – 1:00 p.m. or 5:00 – 10:00 p.m., email: friends@concordlibrary.org
Twice annually (before mid-terms and finals) the use of the Main Library is provided as a safe and quiet place for CCHS students to study for their exams. Volunteers who have completed the CORI process are on site to provide supervision and snacks to the students.
