Friends of the Port Townsend Library
funds programs, services, and materials beyond what the city’s library budget can cover.
Here’s what we support and supply
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About 1,500 programs since 2015, with more than 35,000 participants
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Book sales three times a year
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Annual Community Read, featuring books by local and nationally known writers
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Author talks and events, for all genres of bibliophiles
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Summer Read for all ages—a different theme every year
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Books for Babies—a bag and board book for every new mom and baby born at Jefferson Healthcare
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Children’s storytimes and sing-alongs
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Programs for teens
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Book Lovers’ Café book club
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Book club kits, each containing ten books, available for any book club
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Unusual items to check out—sewing machine, bear vault, daypack with binoculars, fly-tying kit, and more!
Check out our book sales, three times a year
Each March, June, and October, the Friends holds a sale of high-quality books in the Community Center in uptown Port Townsend, at the corner of Lawrence and Tyler streets. These well-attended sales provide about 40 percent of the Friends’ annual income, and all sale proceeds go to support library programs.
We sell donated books, as well as some from library surplus. Teams of devoted volunteers cull, sort, and ready the books for transportation, storage, and final sale.
Book sales in 2020 and 2021 were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. We held three successful sales in 2022 and hope they’re back to stay!!
New! Friends Bookshop New!
Beginning on February 13, 2023, the Friends opened a bookshop in the Library Learning Center (a.k.a. Pink House, next to the library). Stocked with wonderful books, digital media, puzzles, and games, the Friends Bookshop is open Mondays and Thursdays, 12:30–4:30 pm. Stop in and check us out!
Our bylaws
Established in 1978, the Friends revised its bylaws in 2020 to better align with best practices for Washington State nonprofit organizations.
There is not such a cradle of democracy on earth as the Free Public Library, . . . where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.
Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919)