About Us:
The Friends are community volunteers who support Williamstown's David and Joyce Milne Public Library and collaborate with the elected Board of Trustees to promote the objectives and interests of the library.
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We advocate for our library's needs, promote literacy and library engagement in our community, and are committed to the belief that a safe, welcoming and inclusive library best serves the needs of our community.
To supplement funding for the library provided by the state, town and trustees, we raise money with an annual membership campaign and by selling donated used books at our nonprofit, volunteer-run bookstore, Chapter Two Books.​
​Located on Spring Street in Williamstown's shopping district, Chapter Two Books offers customers a wide selection of used books in excellent condition at reasonable prices for a good cause. All of the store's proceeds go to support the David and Joyce Milne Public Library. Click here for store hours.​​
If you are traveling to Williamstown to visit our store, be sure to explore the area. Nestled in the northern Berkshires, Williamstown offers scenic rural landscapes, fresh air and many hiking trails. We are home to Williams College, Clark Art Institute, Williamstown Theater Festival and the Williams College Museum of Art. We are a short drive from MASSMoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) in neighboring North Adams. For more information about these and other nearby attractions, please visit Destination Williamstown.
Friends Leadership
Current Officers (one-year terms)
President: Pam Art (Dec ’25)
Vice President: Elizabeth Whitney (Dec ’23)
Treasurer: Jennifer Bayliss (Dec ’25)
Secretary: Gwen Steege (Dec ’23)
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Current Board Members (three-year terms)
Craig Clemow (Dec ’25)
Lisa Hiley (Dec ’23)
Susan Pike (Dec ’24)
Elizabeth St. Clair (Dec ’23)
Ginny Sheldon (Dec ’24)
Michael Sussman (Dec ’23)
Stephen Winkler (Dec ’24)
The Friends board meets at 4:30 pm on the third Wednesday of the month, except in April and August, when they do not meet, and in December, when the Annual Meeting is held on the second Wednesday. Meetings are held in the large conference room in the back of Milne Library and are open to the public. Minutes are available from the Friends upon request.
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2023 Meeting dates: January 18, February 15, March 15, May 17, June 21, July 19, September 20, October 18, November 15, December 13 (time TBD)
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Note: meetings may be held via videoconference
In the Beginning . . .
The first public library in Williamstown was organized in 1874 and housed in Cole’s Store on Water Street.
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In 1940, the library moved across Main Street to the Elizabeth Sanford Botsford Memorial Building. In 1989, a committee of library supporters came together to form a Friends group to raise additional private funds to help the library. These funds came from an annual used book sale and a membership drive.
In 1996, the library moved to the former Pine Cobble School building at the top of Main Street and was renamed the David and Joyce Milne Public Library. The Friends also took on a new name: Friends of David and Joyce Milne Public Library.
In 2018, the Friends began selling the used books donated to them through a year-round store, Chapter Two Books, on Spring Street.
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In its ongoing mission to support the library, the Friends continues to supplement town, state, and Trustee funding for the library to pay for library programming, equipment, materials, and professional development, as well as raising public awareness and advocating for public library support.