Our Purpose

The purpose of The Friends of the Westfield Memorial Library is to create public interest in the Westfield Memorial Library, to promote increased knowledge and understanding of its services and needs, and to foster public support for the necessary development of the library to the end that it may serve adequately the needs of the community. 

The Friends of the Westfield Memorial Library was formed in 1972.  Since then it has donated more than 1.3 million dollars to the Library, including $100,000 to the Library renovation project in 2007. Most recently the Friends have funded renovations for the Children’s Area and the Meeting Room. In the Spring of 2018, The Friends provided for new furniture for the children and teen area as part of the Children’s Renovation Project. In conjunction with The Friends donation, a past president of the Friends, David Machlowitz with his wife Sherry, funded a new sensory wall for young children. In the Spring of 2020, we also provided for a refresh of the walls with a painted forest themed archway welcoming children to their section of the Library. In the Fall of 2019,  the audio/visual system in the Community Meeting Room was updated to include a more adaptable environment for speakers to present at the library. These capital improvements as well as many other incremental donations to the library are made possible by our Annual Spring book sale and Fall Children and Teen book sale and the continuing generosity and support of our members. 

The Friends of the Westfield Memorial Library strive to identify and advance new activities representing changing interests and needs of our community. The Friends most recently added a Little Free Libraries program in 7 areas around Westfield, expanded the Museum Pass program to from twenty one to twenty four museums and reinstated our Scholarship program. In addition, the Friends host and sponsor a variety of cultural and community service based events and initiatives. Our current list of programs include Saturday morning children’s programs throughout the year, a Black History and International Women’s Month presentations, the 13th Annual Hale Speaker Series is in full swing, New York Metropolitan Opera Series, Trips, Book Discussion, Books on Wheels and Sharing the Warmth groups.

Our website is where you’ll find all you need to know about The Friends. Explore our programs, sign up to volunteer or participate in events and learn how to become a member.