FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY

Membership Application (pdf) | Bookstore Volunteer Form (pdf)

Welcome to the Friends of the Wilmette Library. We are a group of information-loving people who support the library and its many activities. The Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing materials, services, and financial support to the Wilmette/Kenilworth library community, which means YOU.

Look around the library, and see what the Friend’s contributes. Check out the bronze sculpture outside, the new computer room and equipment, online databases, and furniture and original artwork throughout the library--all the result of Friends’ donations.

Friends’ activities support the Children’s Art Show, Scholar-in-Residence Programs, One Village Reading Events, National Library Week Programs, and the Summer Reading Program that attracts about 1,300 children.

How does all this happen?

Friends’ volunteers run the used book store called Books Down Under. They sell and shelve books and audiovisual materials in the library’s lower level basement store and the main floor Annex. Book store sales contribute heavily to support library activities. So volunteer.
People like you donate books to the used book store. You come to the store to purchase bargains. Books you donate and buy help support the store and library programs. So donate materials and visit the store.
The Friends encourages community support through yearly membership from folks like you. Membership shows you care—and helps provide special items for the library. To join, fill out the membership form below and either bring or send it to the library. So become a Friend.
The Friends welcomes volunteers for the board that meets every other month. We also need volunteers for the bookstore and to assist with library events and projects. Come to a meeting, and see what you’d like to do.

Books Down Under

Books Down Under logo The Friends’ book store, Books Down Under, offers a huge selection of bargain materials (of already reduced merchandise) for children and adults. Books and audio-visual materials for sale either come from donations or stock weeded from the library’s collection.

Please make sure donations are free of mold, smoke, and water damage and that they still have covers and other major parts. We take magazines, but only those less than six months old that are not weeklies or business topics that become outdated as soon as they’re printed.

We no longer have weekend book sales. BUT either a separate cart or shelves in the Annex or Books Down Under will hold special sale books. Check this site and signs in the library for news about sales and which genres they cover.

To find out more about the book store, its offerings, and how to volunteer, visit or call 847-256-5025 x6842.

To volunteer for the book store, board, or Friends-sponsored events, call 847-256-5025 and ask for Community Services.

Store Hours

Monday	1.00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m
Tuesday & Thursday	9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Wednesday	11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m
Saturday	9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Sunday	1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Become a Member and Volunteer!

How to join: If you would like to join Friends, fill out the membership form below and return by mail or in person to the Wilmette Public Library. Membership forms are also available in the library lobby or in the bookstore, Books Down Under.

Donate books: If you would like to donate materials for Books Down Under, drop them off inside the employee entrance marked "Deliveries" at the furthest east entrance on the parking lot side of the building. You can also leave donations at the front desk or bring them to Books Down Under.

Volunteer: If you would like to volunteer for work at the bookstore, on any Friends-sponsored events, or on the Friends Board, call 847-256-5025 and ask for Community Services.

Join this wonderful group that helps keep the Wilmette Public Library the great institution it is. Download a Friends of the Wilmette Public Library membership form here >> (.pdf)