New Bedford Free Public Library

New Bedford Free Public Library The New Bedford Free Public Library and its 4 branches are located in southeastern Massachusetts.
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09/25/2023
Join us at the Main Library for AHA! New Bedford !
09/25/2023

Join us at the Main Library for AHA! New Bedford !

This week, the courtyard entrance of the Main Library also had a bit of refresh with the plantings on the steps.  A grea...
09/22/2023

This week, the courtyard entrance of the Main Library also had a bit of refresh with the plantings on the steps. A great big thank you from us at the library to this Planting Duo of Jaqueline and Ariel for their work cleaning up the flower beds and matching our entrance to that of city hall.

09/22/2023

Due to the expected rain on Saturday, the clean up event at West Beach has been canceled.
For more details, please email Bethany at [email protected]

09/21/2023

Want something active to keep the kids occupied on a rainy Saturday? Come to Free Family Yoga at the Wilks Library this Saturday, 9/23 at 2pm! All ages and all abilities are welcome. We even have yoga mats available!

Bring home    starter   at the New Bedford Main Library!
09/21/2023

Bring home starter at the New Bedford Main Library!

Greetings from Special Collections!   in September 1815, Paul Cuffe, a Massachusetts shipowner of African and Native Ame...
09/20/2023

Greetings from Special Collections!

in September 1815, Paul Cuffe, a Massachusetts shipowner of African and Native American descent, employed James Forten’s services as a sailmaker.

A manuscript receipt from the New Bedford Free Public Library is on loan to the
Museum of the American Revolution in the exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia.

To learn more about the exhibit, please see:
https://www.amrevmuseum.org/exhibits/black-founders-the-forten-family-of-philadelphia

Or visit the History Room to review the catalogue

Signature Signs has once again accepted the challenge to update the signage and window in the courtyard of the Main Libr...
09/20/2023

Signature Signs has once again accepted the challenge to update the signage and window in the courtyard of the Main Library.

Once the branch signs were complete with the library logo, it was important to connect them to the Main Library while keeping the historical element intact. We think they hit it out of the ballpark again! We love our new window treatment which is very visible from the street.

Thank you to the team at Signature for accepting the challenge!

Celebrate   by bringing home a   'library ivy" plant at Youth Services on Sept. 21!
09/20/2023

Celebrate by bringing home a 'library ivy" plant at Youth Services on Sept. 21!

09/18/2023

The City of New Bedford and the Massachusetts Broadband Institute (MBI) wants to hear from New Bedford residents about their experiences with receiving and using internet service! This survey is completely anonymous and should be completed by one individual per household. Your feedback is vital to understand barriers to internet access, affordability, and adoption to help close the digital divide. Thank you for your time and participation.

The online survey is located at: https://made.civilspace.io/en/projects/ma-digital-equity/engagements/ma-sdep-public-survey/sections/1.

MA SDEP Public Survey

09/15/2023

Yoga at the Wilks Library is postponed to next Saturday, 9/23 at 2pm.

Due to the weather forecast we have to cancel Saturday's clean up event. For more information, please contact Bethany at...
09/14/2023

Due to the weather forecast we have to cancel Saturday's clean up event.

For more information, please contact Bethany at [email protected]

Join us on AHA! New Bedford  to create a city map craft and discover community partners. All ages are welcome for this f...
09/13/2023

Join us on AHA! New Bedford to create a city map craft and discover community partners.

All ages are welcome for this free event and is available while supplies last. Hope to see you there!

New Bedford Art Museum United Way of Greater New Bedford
09/09/2023

New Bedford Art Museum
United Way of Greater New Bedford

Visit the Main Library's Youth Services to enter!
09/07/2023

Visit the Main Library's Youth Services to enter!

Create a Mosaic Masterpiece in Youth Services!Mass Cultural Council New Bedford Local Cultural Council Craftyish Shop
09/05/2023

Create a Mosaic Masterpiece in Youth Services!

Mass Cultural Council
New Bedford Local Cultural Council
Craftyish Shop

08/31/2023

Join us tonight at 7pm for the Amazing Microfilm Series where we talk about fun, exciting, and offbeat stories from the past found in our Standard Times microfilm collection. This is a Zoom program so you can join from home at 7pm!

Link to Zoom:

Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, confer...

Tonight I was pleased to represent the New Bedford Free Public Library at Casa Dos Acores Cani for the book presentation...
08/30/2023

Tonight I was pleased to represent the New Bedford Free Public Library at Casa Dos Acores Cani for the book presentation of TRANSATLÂNTICO - AS MIGRAÇÕES NOS AÇORES, by José Andrade, Diretor Regional das Comunidades do Governo dos Açores. It's an honor to represent the library as an Azorean immigrant at events with Azorean officials that keeps our community connected across the Atlantic Ocean.

The book has been added to the Portuguese collection at Casa da Saudade Branch and available for borrowing.

Craftyish Shop Mass Cultural Council New Bedford Local Cultural Council
08/25/2023

Craftyish Shop
Mass Cultural Council
New Bedford Local Cultural Council

Thank you to everyone who attended our first ever Lit City Library Con! Congoers came in cosplay, competed in an anime t...
08/21/2023

Thank you to everyone who attended our first ever Lit City Library Con! Congoers came in cosplay, competed in an anime trivia contest, wrote fanfiction together with story dice, made their own buttons, learned about new anime and manga to try, heard a reading by local author Jonathan Kastin, and lots more, all for free right here at the downtown Main Library. Join us next year!

Do you have an interest in birds or birding? Add us to your calendar and tell your friends! Mass Audubon Allens Pond wil...
08/21/2023

Do you have an interest in birds or birding? Add us to your calendar and tell your friends! Mass Audubon Allens Pond will be presenting a program speaking about birds and their nests at the library Saturday August 26. This program is presented as a part of DATMA's Shelter 2023. Also, see some of the Library's collection of Audubon prints at the New Bedford Art Museum show "Under the Sheltering Sky" on view now!

Visit the Main Library for   fest!
08/12/2023

Visit the Main Library for fest!

Abstracts of Local News, 1792-1894 are now available online! Special thanks to Ashley and library staff for making Paul ...
08/09/2023

Abstracts of Local News, 1792-1894 are now available online!

Special thanks to Ashley and library staff for making Paul Cyr’s project notebooks digitally accessible!

View all 102 years of content by visiting: https://www.newbedford-ma.gov/library/local-news-index/.



Abstracts of Local News, 1792-1894, an expansive news index compiled by Paul A. Cyr, curator of Special Collections at the New Bedford Free Public Library, provides extraordinary access to historical content in New Bedford’s early newspapers. Cyr actively pursued this project from its origination ...

08/09/2023
Join us for   Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Msm
08/09/2023

Join us for Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Msm

Join us for our next Model Makers Club on Saturday, August 12th at 3pm while we discuss building models to scale
08/08/2023

Join us for our next Model Makers Club on Saturday, August 12th at 3pm while we discuss building models to scale

Visit Youth Services during AHA! New Bedford Mass Cultural Council New Bedford Local Cultural Council
08/07/2023

Visit Youth Services during AHA! New Bedford
Mass Cultural Council
New Bedford Local Cultural Council

Thank you Mass Audubon for an amazing event!Visit the exhibit Under the Sheltering Sky at the New Bedford Art Museum  to...
08/05/2023

Thank you Mass Audubon for an amazing event!

Visit the exhibit Under the Sheltering Sky at the New Bedford Art Museum to see the birds and their nests from August 10 to October 8!

Visit Youth Services to enter!
08/05/2023

Visit Youth Services to enter!

Join us on Saturday at 10am at Youth Services!Mass Audubon Greater New Bedford Youth Alliance New Bedford Art Museum
08/03/2023

Join us on Saturday at 10am at Youth Services!
Mass Audubon
Greater New Bedford Youth Alliance
New Bedford Art Museum

Address

613 Pleasant Street
New Bedford, MA
02740

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 9pm
Tuesday 9am - 9pm
Wednesday 9am - 9pm
Thursday 9am - 9pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(508) 991-6275

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About Us

Established in 1852 by a city ordinance, the New Bedford Free Public Library is among the earliest free municipal libraries in the United States. Beginning in 1857 and housed in the building now used as City Hall until 1910, the core of the library’s original holdings contained books, periodicals and other materials purchased from the New Bedford Social Library (founded in 1807), which had assimilated the collections of the Encyclopedia Society, New Bedford Library Society, New Bedford Athenaeum and Lyceum.

Built as a City Hall in the 1830’s, the present building was reconstructed after a fire in 1906. Once reconstruction was complete, the buildings switched permanently and is now home to significant historical holdings, including materials on Whaling, Quaker and 19th century Abolition Movement and museum-quality collection of fine art.

The Library consists of the Main Library, four branches and a Bookmobile. The Wilks, Howland-Green and Francis J. Lawler Branches were built with funds left in trust to the library by Sylvia Ann Howland-Green Wilks, whose mother was the famous financier Hetty Green. The Main Library is open 64 hours per week and the branches are open 40 hours per week. The Bookmobile is on the road 20 – 25 hours per week.


Comments

Another awesome event for the kiddos at New Bedford Free Public Library. Check it out below! 🤖🦾
Your children's favorite characters will be joining our City Celebrates New Year's Eve festivities at the New Bedford Free Public Library main branch downtown. Sing along and dance to some of your favorite songs from Encanto and take photos with the characters.

Ever After Storybook Entertainment
🗓 Saturday 12/31
⏰ 5-8pm
📍 New Bedford Free Public Library 613 Pleasant St.

Tap the link below for event details and a programming map.
https://destinationnewbedford.org/city-celebrates-new-years-eve-2022/

Thank you to our sponsors Bristol County Savings Bank, Vineyard Wind, and Claremont Companies.
For decades, the City of New Bedford has displayed a Christmas Tree on the steps of the New Bedford Free Public Library in the downtown. Thousands of people stop by to see it, but have you ever wondered how it got there? Join us as we tell the story of New Bedford's Christmas Tree. Where did it come from? Who decorates it? And why it's such a big deal 🎄🌟
Join a park ranger (and our Artist in Residence!) TODAY at 10:00 AM at the downtown New Bedford Free Public Library. The event and parking are FREE, and all youth are welcome!
This Saturday during the Downtown New Bedford Inc. Holiday Stroll, don't miss the Buy Black NB pop-up market at the New Bedford Whaling Museum from 12-5pm.

Don't forget to head over to the New Bedford Free Public Library across from City Hall after the stroll for the official Christmas tree lighting at 5pm.

https://fb.me/e/2wh4yv6Yk
Do you know any youth interested in climate action and having their voices heard? We're collecting surveys from New Bedford youth to learn more about their thoughts, experiences, and perspectives on climate change and how Mass Audubon can help them achieve climate solutions they want to see take place in the city. Have them stop by the the Main Branch of New Bedford Free Public Library to fill out the survey by December 12th!
New Bedford Free Public Library, New Bedford Public Schools, Pa Raffa's, and NBstrong are seeking hand-drawn holiday cards for Seniors.

Check out the flyer below to learn more.
Happy Veterans Day from Destination New Bedford.

Honor your local veterans by learning the history of New Bedford veterans throughout the years. The Fort Rodman / Fort Taber Military Museum catalogues local veterans from the Revolutionary War to the present. Each of their exhibitions is a tribute to our veterans and service members. Veteran and retired service member volunteers will guide you through their extensive collection Wednesdays through Sundays from 1-4 PM. Visit today!

The parade today departs from Rockdale Avenue and Union Street at 11 AM and ends in from of the New Bedford Free Public Library for a service. For more information: City of New Bedford.
What is your plan to vote this Election? Early Voting at the New Bedford Free Public Library begins on October 22nd. You can apply online to Vote By Mail and the deadline to apply is November 1st. You can always plan to Vote on Election Day, November 8th!

Click here to apply to Vote By Mail! at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/MailInRequestWeb/MailInBallot.aspx

Any New Bedford resident who is uncertain about their voting status, designated polling location, has changed their address since the last election or would like to request an absentee ballot should contact the Board of Election Commissioners at (508) 979-1420.

Today is the LAST DAY of EARLY VOTING at the New Bedford Free Public Library. Make your way downtown to vote before 4:00 PM today. Every vote counts!
REMINDER: Today is the last day for early voting at New Bedford Free Public Library located at 613 Pleasant St. Anyone who wishes to cast their ballot in person prior to Election Day may do so today, Friday, November 4th, until 4pm.

Voters may cast their votes for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, Auditor, 9th District Representative in Congress, 1st District Councilor, 2nd Bristol & Plymouth District Senator in General Court, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th & 13th District Representative in General Court, District Attorney Bristol, Sheriff Bristol County, County Commissioner Bristol, Register of Deeds Bristol, State Ballot questions and a Municipal Referendum question.
Wishing you had binoculars, a label maker, or a yoga mat for just a day? Visit the New Bedford Free Public Library 'Funbrary' and borrow games and tools. Lending programs like this help save money and reduce waste. Learn why creating less waste is important: https://bit.ly/3ylIddy
New Bedford Free Public Library wants your help! Take this survey to help influence the direction of the library system for the next five years.
It's a month full of fun at the New Bedford Free Public Library!
Please make a plan to VOTE EARLY this week at the New Bedford Free Public Library, located downtown at 613 Pleasant St.

Early Voting is available 8am to 4pm Monday through Friday November 4th.

Early voting taking place at the New Bedford Free Public Library!
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