Friends of the Monmouth County Library

06/16/2026

🌹 Stop and smell the roses ... we're bloomin' excited to be sponsoring Great Gardens of the Garden State! 🌻

This Thursday, June 18 at 7 PM, join Michael Gross of the Garden State Gardens Consortium at Eastern Branch (Shrewsbury) for a one-hour "tour" through 30 of New Jersey's most breathtaking public gardens, all without leaving your seat. Whether you're a seasoned garden enthusiast or just discovering what the Garden State has to offer, you'll leave inspired and ready to explore. 🌼🌸

06/08/2026

📰 Check it out! A new study found that libraries help build social connections, strengthen neighborhoods, and measurably reduce loneliness.

📚 As the Friends of the Monmouth County Library, we're committed to keeping our county libraries vibrant community hubs for learning, creativity, and connection, filled with programs, performances, and activities for all ages. Please support our work by visiting donate.mclibraryfriends.org.

05/28/2026

The Friends of the Monmouth County Library June meeting is this Monday, June 1 at 7 PM. We'll be in-person at Library Headquarters (Manalapan), with a Zoom option also available (please message us for the link).

Hope to see you there!

05/06/2026

Calling all true crime fans! The Friends are sponsoring "Murdered in Monmouth County" at 7 PM this Thursday, May 7 at Eastern Branch (Shrewsbury).

Historian Greg Caggiano will uncover four centuries of hidden history, from the first European settlers to wartime to the Prohibition-era and beyond. You may never look at Monmouth County the same way again...

05/02/2026

The Friends of the Monmouth County Library May meeting is at 7 PM this Monday, May 4, 2026 at Headquarters (Manalapan). A Zoom option is also available (message us for the link).

Please join us to share your ideas and learn what we're working on!

04/28/2026

Last month, we were fortunate to be part of Makers Day at Monmouth County Library Headquarters.

It was the sort of event that reminds you of the library’s vital importance as a community hub for all ages. Of course, everyone knows the library is a place to borrow books. But as Makers Day showed, it’s also a place to explore robotics and wool weaving and calligraphy and hydroponic farming. It’s where kids and adults alike can try their hand at cartooning, constructing, and creating.

At the Friends table, attendees got an early taste of this year’s nationwide summer reading theme — “Unearth a Story” — by holding ancient dinosaur bones, investigating local fossil discoveries, and taking home real-life shark teeth. It was our reminder that “anything is fossil-ble at the library!"

04/22/2026

Happy !

The Friends of the Monmouth County Library are proud to have sponsored the Monmouth County Library System's recent In-Service Day, a county-wide convening full of professional development and community building for all staff. Thank you to the amazing library team for all that you do!

We’d like to extend our sincere appreciation to our generous In-Service Day sponsors. Their support played a huge role in creating a fun, meaningful, and truly memorable day for our staff.

We are grateful for their continued dedication to our library community—and to our patrons, thank you for your patience while we took time to learn how to better serve you!

In-Service Day Sponsors:
Friends of the Monmouth County Library
Allentown Public Library Association
Friends of the Atlantic Highlands Library
Friends of the Colts Neck Library
Friends of the Hazlet Township Public Library
Marlboro Free Public Library
Friends of the Township of Ocean Library
Wall Public Library Association

04/13/2026

Please join us tomorrow, Monday, April 13 at 7 PM for our April meeting. We'll be in-person at the Headquarters (Manalapan) library with a Zoom option also available (please message us for the link).

See you soon!

03/22/2026

✉️ ✍️ Eleanor Roosevelt stands as one of the most celebrated women of her generation. Did you know she frequently visited Monmouth County to see her dear friend Geraldine Thompson at Brookdale Farm? Their enduring friendship is preserved in hundreds of letters.

Tomorrow, the Friends of the Monmouth County Library are excited to sponsor "The Two First Ladies: Eleanor Roosevelt and Geraldine Thompson." Professor Jane Scimeca will share her research journey through their correspondence, illuminating these two remarkable women and their shared commitment to social service.

Join us at Eastern Branch (Shrewsbury) this Monday, March 23 at 7 PM! Please register at monmouthcountylib.libcal.com/event/15553439 to guarantee seating.

03/20/2026

⚙️ 🤖 Tomorrow is one of our favorite events of the year: Makers Day at the Monmouth County Library!

The Friends be tabling on Saturday, March 21 at Headquarters (Manalapan) from 12–4 PM — stop by and say hi! Celebrate Makers Day with make-and-take activities, demonstrations, exhibits, and hands-on, interactive experiences for everyone from ages 3 to 103. We hope to see you there!