Who Are We?
The Friends of the Williamsburg Libraries, Inc. is a volunteer group that has raised money to support the Libraries since 1986. The Friends hold membership drives, raffles, book sales, and support community events. We’re a community that comes together in hard times because we value one another and all that we share.
Mission Statement
The purpose of the Friends of the Williamsburg Libraries is to help maintain a vibrant cultural center for the town of Williamsburg and the surrounding communities. The Friends sponsors and raises funds for community events and assists in making gifts of time and money to meet needs not normally covered in the libraries’ operating budget.
News of the Friends
September 2025
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
At the center of Williamsburg sits a stone and brick building filled with big ideas and access to a wider universe – the Meekins Library – surrounded by public green space on the banks of the Mill River and supported by the Friends of the Williamsburg Libraries. At the heart of the Friends is you: your membership dues, your volunteer efforts in support of the annual Fall Book Sale and other initiatives, your love of this special place. That’s why we’re writing to ask that you renew your membership now—or join the Friends for the first time!
The Friends are dedicated to supporting the mission of the Trustees and the Library Director. Town appropriations pay for salaries and utilities and the Trustees’ Annual Fund drives help meet the library’s operating budget and purchase new materials. However, these funding sources are limited. Unmet needs for ongoing programming, technical updates, furnishings, and enrichment of all kinds – the things that make the Meekins a destination in the Hilltowns – are left out of the equation.
That’s where the Friends of Williamsburg Libraries comes in and why your annual membership is needed. In the 2024 – 2025 year the Friends paid for the popular museum passes program— expanding access to arts, science, and history for everyone. The library, with our support, is upgrading computers (staff and public) to ensure that patrons of all ages have access to reliable, up-to-date resources for work, school, and personal use. We supported the Chess Club and Space Week, the Summer Reading Program for children and adults, helped to fund the installation of new public art and the upkeep of the lawn and gardens that are free for everyone to enjoy, provided treats for the library’s holiday events and celebrated our tireless library staff and volunteers — and more!
Thank you for being a Friend – for helping us make the Williamsburg Libraries a place where everyone belongs and for investing in the future of our libraries and our community. To renew your membership for 9/1/25 – 8/31/26, please return your completed reply form and annual $20 (or more!) donation in the enclosed envelope. Or you can print out and complete the membership form on our webpage and mail it along with your dues or give online using our Paypal.
Gratefully,
The Friends of the Williamsburg Libraries
P.S. Mark your calendar for our annual all-members meeting: Monday, September 8, at 7 pm in the Meekins Hawks-Hayden Room. This will be an informal meeting – with refreshments – where we would love to hear your ideas about the Friends going forward.