IT’S 2026 FRIENDS MEMBERSHIP SEASON!

Become a Friend now with an easy-to complete online application or print application.

And join us at a Friends meeting, which is open to the public and usually held on the third Wednesday of the month. We welcome anyone interested in the workings and the welfare of the library to attend and learn about us.

The Friends of the Peabody Institute Library is a non-profit, volunteer organization dedicated to enriching the community’s cultural and educational life and enhancing the activities of our library.

The Friends sponsor the following:

• Museum passes to 16 different institutions 
• Varied musical, dramatic, and educational programs for children and adults
• In-person and Zoom lectures
• Community-based events
• Library initiatives and improvements

These are a few of offerings from the Friends in 2025:

• Music from the Black South: A Program to Celebrate Black History Month
• Carving Out Your Story: An Oral History Workshop
• A Special Event at Endicott Park for Kids and Families
• A family-friendly Open House
• Annual book sale (Members can shop early at a preview night!)

New This Month

MONTHLY MEETING

Friends’ meetings are open to the public and are usually held on the third Wednesday of the month. We welcome anyone interested in the workings and the welfare of the library to attend and learn more about what we do.

Our January Meeting was held on January 14, 2026 at 10:30 AM in the Classroom. Read the minutes here.

Our next meeting will be held on Wednesday, February 18, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. in the Classroom. Please join us!

SPECIAL EVENTS

Spirituals, The Songs of Enslaved Africans: A Program to Celebrate Black History Month Saturday, February 21, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. in the Gordon Room.

Register here!

Spirituals, The Songs of Enslaved Africans: A Program to Celebrate Black History Month will be held on Saturday, February 21, at 2 PM at the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, Gordon Room. It is free and open to all ages.

The Music for Many Occasions Ensemble, a subset of the Boston Pops Gospel Choir, will present a program of live music and history from the Black South. The audience will be invited to sing along during this event, with the blend of voices adding to a powerful narrative.

This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers and is supported in part by a grant from the Danvers Cultural Council, a local agency supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

Become a Friend!

When you become a Friend of the Peabody Institute Library,
you enable us to enrich the community’s cultural and
educational life and to enhance the activities of our library.
All our activities are free and open to the public.

Your contribution funds:

• Museum passes to 16 different institutions
• Varied musical, dramatic, and educational programs for children and adults
• In-person and Zoom lectures
• Community-based events
• Library initiatives and improvements

Annual membership levels are:

• Friend                                 $20
• Supporter/Family              $30
• Sponsor                              $50
• Benefactor/Corporate     $100 and above

Become a Friend now with an easy-to-complete online application or print application.  You may drop your print application at the library circulation desk or mail it to Friends of Peabody Institute Library, 15 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA 01923.

The Friends is  a vibrant, sociable group that warmly welcomes volunteers. Please email President Michele Chausse to let her know your interest in program planning, hospitality, publicity, membership, and/or assisting with the book sale.

The Peabody Institute Library is a beloved and vital Danvers institution, and your membership contribution will sustain its impact in the coming year, and beyond. Thank you!

Give

Beyond membership, you can support the Friends with a gift or memorial donation here or by sending a check  written to Friends of the Peabody Institute Library and mail to Friends of Peabody Institute Library, 15 Sylvan Street, Danvers, MA 01923.

If you would like to become a local business sponsor or corporate patron, please contact us at friends.pil.danvers@gmail.com.