Invest in Your Community
Invest in Your Library

We support libraries through fundraising, advocacy, and programming.

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.

Maker Spaces

The library provides technology and space for innovation. Saint Paul resident, Rachel created a package prototype at the George Latimer Central Library.

Small Business Resources

The library helps the local economy. Darren and Oie were able to start their own company using small business resources at Central Library.

Homework Help

The library provides educational support. Ramla's daughter improved her grades thanks to homework help at the Arlington Hills Community Center.

Digital Literacy Training

The library provides opportunity to grow your skills. One of our patrons, Nancy got promoted after taking a digital literacy class at the Rondo Library.

Has the Public Library Made an Impact in Your Life or Community?

Here's How The Friends Invests

Even in a city that loves its libraries, public funding isn’t enough for libraries to provide all the important resources that residents seek.

The Library, part of the City of Saint Paul, depends on The Friends to support those resources. As an independent nonprofit, The Friends invests in libraries so that they, and the communities they serve, thrive.

We Raise Money

We Advocate

We Produce Programming

We Consult

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

The need for a strong library is greater than ever.

Upcoming Events

Jun
24
Tue
Books & Bars: “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt @ Urban Growler
Jun 24 @ 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Tuesday, June 24
6:30 p.m. Discussion

Urban Growler
2325 Endicott St
St. Paul

This event is FREE and open to the public.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.


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.

Jun
26
Thu
Moving Words Writers Across Minnesota | Walker @ Walker Public Library
Jun 26 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

Author Discussion | Moving Words event
Thursday, June 26, 6:00 p.m.  
Walker Public Library | 203 Tower Ave, Walker, MN 56484
Free | Registration not required

Enjoy a lively discussion with three multi-genre, Minnesota authors. 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, The Harlan Boss Foundation, and the generous support of Bernadette and Jeffrey Janisch.

Jul
26
Sat
Walking Tours: Fitzgerald Around Saint Paul with Mark Taylor
Jul 26 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Fitzgerald Around Saint Paul Walking Tours with Mark Taylor
Saturday, July 26 & Saturday, August 23, 2025
Start time options: 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., or 4:00 p.m.
Cathedral Hill, Saint Paul
To book, email Mark directly and mention The Friends. 

Enjoy the Minnesota summer and immerse yourself in the charm of the 1920s as Mark guides you through locations that played a significant role in Fitzgerald’s life and novels. Fitzgerald walking tours cover a 1.5 mile loop and are capped at 20 people. The Friends will cover the usual $20 tour fee when you mention our name at booking.  

Gatsby at 100
2025 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby. To mark this milestone, The Friends will convene a variety of programs that invite us to revisit the book and consider how its themes apply today. Learn more and browse programs here. 

Aug
6
Wed
Performer Talk: “The Last Flapper” with Monette Magrath @ Merriam Park Library
Aug 6 @ 12:00 am – 12:00 am

“The Last Flapper” Performer Talk with Monette Magrath:
Wednesday, August 6 | Time TBD
Merriam Park Library | 1831 Marshall Avenue, Saint Paul

Performer Monette Magrath shares a behind-the-scenes look at her one-woman show “The Last Flapper” by William Luce, based on the writings of Mrs. F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Learn more about the performance here.

Gatsby at 100
2025 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby. To mark this milestone, The Friends will convene a variety of programs that invite us to revisit the book and consider how its themes apply today. Learn more and browse programs here.

Aug
23
Sat
Walking Tours: Fitzgerald Around Saint Paul with Mark Taylor
Aug 23 @ 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Fitzgerald Around Saint Paul Walking Tours with Mark Taylor
Saturday, July 26 & Saturday, August 23, 2025
Start time options: 10:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m., or 4:00 p.m.
Cathedral Hill, Saint Paul
To book, email Mark directly and mention The Friends. 

Enjoy the Minnesota summer and immerse yourself in the charm of the 1920s as Mark guides you through locations that played a significant role in Fitzgerald’s life and novels. Fitzgerald walking tours cover a 1.5 mile loop and are capped at 20 people. The Friends will cover the usual $20 tour fee when you mention our name at booking.  

Gatsby at 100
2025 is the 100th anniversary of the publication of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s book The Great Gatsby. To mark this milestone, The Friends will convene a variety of programs that invite us to revisit the book and consider how its themes apply today. Learn more and browse programs here. 

The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library Blog

36 Finalists Blog 2025: Michelle S. Phelps

Michelle S. Phelps, author of The Minneapolis Reckoning: Race, Violence, and the Politics of Policing in America Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction Category, sponsored by Annette and John Whaley Each week leading up to the 37th annual Minnesota Book Awards, we are featuring exclusive interviews with our finalists. You can also watch the authors…
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36 Finalists Blog 2025: Cathy Coats

Cathy Coats, author of To Banish Forever: A Secret Society, the Ho-Chunk, and Ethnic Cleansing in Minnesota Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction Category, sponsored by Annette and John Whaley Each week leading up to the 37th annual Minnesota Book Awards, we are featuring exclusive interviews with our finalists. You can also watch the authors…
Read More

36 Finalists Blog 2025: Christopher P. Lehman

Christopher P. Lehman, author of It Took Courage: Eliza Winston’s Quest for Freedom Emilie Buchwald Award for Minnesota Nonfiction Category, sponsored by Annette and John Whaley Each week leading up to the 37th annual Minnesota Book Awards, we are featuring exclusive interviews with our finalists. You can also watch the authors in conversation with their…
Read More

The need for a strong library is greater than ever.