A Special Thank You to Elizabeth "Buffy" Lane
The Friends of the Salem Free Public Library held their annual Mother's Day Weekend plant sale from May 7 - 9, 2026. It was coordinated by the marvelous Buffy Lane. Because of all her hard work, and the work of countless volunteers, the plant sale brought in just over $3,400.00 for the Friends, which will in turn be used to fund programs for the library.
Buffy has been doing this for 14 years! Not an easy task. She is stepping down this year, but has been training Tammy Charbonneau to take her place. So the annual Mother's Day Weekend plant sale will continue into 2027!
A special thanks go out to the businesses who donated plants, food, fertilizer and gift cards to help us out. They are:
- Stop & Shop in Colchester
- Tractor Supply in Colchester
- Salem Prime Cuts in Salem
- Mitchell Farm in Salem
- Hart's Nursery in Preston
Welcome to the home page of the Friends of the Salem Free Public Library, where our journey to support our public library begins. Discover our commitment to enriching our community in Salem, Connecticut. Join us as we grow and champion literacy and learning together. We're glad you're here to be a part of our story. Check out the October Book Sale page and see what will be going on!
A Brief History of the Friends
The Friends of the Salem Free Public Library was founded in a Salem living room in 1990. Originally started as a support organization, the group soon adopted the goal of building a new library. What seemed like an impossible dream in the early 1990s became a reality when the new building opened on December 13, 2004. Along that journey, the Friends made a $15,000 direct donation, ran a fundraising drive that collected over $120,000, and worked tirelessly to get the referendum passed to build the new library.
The Friends continue to support the library with contributions of funding and time. In recent years, the Friends of the Salem Free Public Library have provided at least $10,000 worth of materials and services to the library annually, and provided hundreds of hours of volunteer service! Join us and make a difference. Click on the membership/donations tab above to learn more.
