Friends of the Library

The Friends of the Academy Library, established in 1930, help to maintain the vitality of the Library. Their annual support provides funds for acquisitions beyond the regular budget, for outside speakers and concerts, for essential supplies and useful luxuries. The special collections speak to the extraordinary generosity of individuals, and the yearly gifts of the entire group underwrite new programs and equipment. Many of the Friends have also endowed permanent funds for collections and programs.

In a report to the Friends in 1941, English instructor and then-Secretary of the Friends Chilson H. Leonard summed up the moving force behind their devotion: “Good students are insatiable. Their demand for knowledge is always much greater than the supply. All those who teach and those who learn are engaged in a task that has the joy of being eternal. The Friends ... can do much to help in this task." These observations are equally true today, for the Friends and the staff are still engaged in making the Academy Library a place where endless discovery and enthusiastic learning can occur.

Book Funds

Benefits of membership in the Friends of the Academy Library

In addition to the satisfaction that comes from supporting the academic excellence of the library and the richness of its information resources, members of the Friends of the Academy Library also enjoy the following special privileges:

  • Invitations to Friends and Library-sponsored programs, events and lectures.

  • Biannual Friends of the Academy Library newsletter.

How to join the Friends

To join the Friends of the Academy Library contact the Director of the Academy Library, Laura C. Wood, or call (603) 777-3316. Membership in the Friends is limited to alumni/ae, parents of alumni/ae, emeriti and retired staff of the Academy.

Current officers of the Friends

Julie Dunfey ’76 P ‘08 - Chair of the Friends of the Academy Library
John D. Herney '46, '69,'71,'74, '92, '95 (Hon.) – Secretary of the Friends of the Academy Library

Periodically, the Friends publish a variety of materials: pamphlets, brochures, broadsides, and books. Examples include Memorial Minutes, which contains the tributes written by faculty members about colleagues who have died, and Collected Letters, an assemblage of the letters written to members of the Friends of the Academy Library, highlighting recent events or items of interest.