We Believe in the Library. We Invest in the Library.
The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library believes that libraries are essential. We act as a catalyst for libraries to strengthen and inspire their communities. Learn more in this short video about our work.
Books and so much more
Libraries are the best way to strengthen communities because they connect individuals of every age, ethnicity, and background with resources that enrich and improve lives.
Has the Public Library Made an Impact in Your Life or Community?
Stronger Libraries for Stronger Communities
“I don’t know how to help my child with their homework, so this helps them. We love it here, and the kids want to come.”
– Safiya, mother
“This storytime means so much to me because my kids get to learn their native language.”
– Po, parent
“The library brings people together. It’s a place to come together around community and information.”
– Darren, small-business owner
“The best thing about this program is that it has all the resources a low-income student may need to do well in school… along with a safe learning environment for students to work.”
– Mai Xee, student
Upcoming Events
with Attorney Rachel Schromen
Tuesday, April 23 | 4:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Free Webinar | Register Now
As you wrap up your taxes, now is the perfect time to review or create your estate documents. An estate plan is your opportunity to carefully articulate your wishes, your values, and your legacy. This important plan helps you provide for and protect your loved ones and the charitable organizations you care about after you’re gone, but many people don’t know where to start.
In this session, Rachel Schromen, a supporter of The Friends, will offer a clear overview of estate plans, basic concepts, and best practices. She’ll break down what can be a confusing process in a simple, fun, no-strings-attached way. She’ll also answer your questions so you feel informed and prepared.
Participants will have the option to enable Closed Captioning through Zoom during the webinar.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Tuesday, April 23
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Urban Growler
2325 Endicott St
St. Paul
This event is FREE and open to the public.
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A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past—the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year.
When the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought—if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.
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With The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.
Moving Words: Author Discussion
Thursday, April 25 | 6:00 p.m.
Aitkin Public Library | 110 1st Ave NE, Aitkin MN 56431
Free | Registration not required
Enjoy a lively discussion with two Minnesota authors: Kao Kalia Yang and Sheila Packa. Moving Words is an opportunity for writers and readers to explore various themes together: the impact of literature in their lives, their connection as fellow Minnesotans, and the lens through which we read.
Moving Words is a program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library as the Library of Congress-designated Minnesota Center for the Book. This program is made possible in part by the State of Minnesota through an appropriation to the Minnesota Department of Education and the generous support of Bernadette and Jeffrey Janisch..
Celebrate the state’s best books at the 36th annual Minnesota Book Awards Ceremony, sponsored by Education Minnesota. Readers, writers, and booklovers from across Minnesota are invited to gather and celebrate the stories of Minnesotans that inspire and connect us.
6:00 p.m. – Preface
Meet the finalists and mingle with your fellow book lovers. Enjoy book sales and signing and a cash bar.
7:30 p.m. – Awards Ceremony
Awards are presented to winners in nine categories and to the recipient of the Book Artist, Hognander Minnesota History, and Kay Sexton awards, with special guests. The Ceremony will include ASL interpretation and live captioning on large screens.
9:00 p.m. – Epilogue
Celebrate with friends, buy featured books, and grab a treat when you leave.
Learn more about the 2024 Minnesota Book Award and purchase your tickets today at https://thefriends.org/minnesota-book-awards
When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
Wednesday, May 15
6:30 p.m. Discussion
Sociable Cider Werks
1500 Fillmore St
Minneapolis
This event is FREE and open to the public.
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Alex Green is a young girl in a world much like ours, except for its most seminal event: the Mass Dragoning of 1955, when hundreds of thousands of ordinary wives and mothers sprouted wings, scales, and talons; left a trail of fiery destruction in their path; and took to the skies.
Forced into silence, Alex nevertheless must face the consequences of this astonishing event: a mother more protective than ever; an absentee father; the upsetting insistence that her aunt never even existed; and watching her beloved cousin Bea become dangerously obsessed with the forbidden.
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With The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library, moderator Jeff Kamin brings his unique take on a public book club show to Saint Paul. Even if you don’t like the featured book, he “guarantees a good time at our entertaining discussions.” All are welcome to try this moderated reinvention of the book club.