About the Friends
The first Friends of Madison Public Library group was established in the 1960s, and their more than 60-year legacy lives on today in the current Friends groups, who provide volunteer support and advocacy for Madison Public Library.
Each of our nine locations has its own Friends group run by dedicated volunteers who support their individual library location, as well as joining with the other Friends groups to host larger fundraising events a few times each year. Through supplemental funds for special projects, gifts supporting and recognizing staff, and adding to the collection, the Friends help enhance the Library experience for all.
Friends of Madison Public Library groups also host used book sales, which include books and other items donated by the public or weeded from the library's collection. Proceeds from these sales are then used to support the library. Learn more below about donating books, joining a Friends group, and book sale fundraisers.
Want to join the Friends? Look for membership forms at your local library, or visit websites for Central, Goodman South Madison, and Pinney Library Friends' groups.
Library Friends Groups
To contact your neighborhood library's Friends group, please contact your local library manager or connect via Facebook or email, below.
Book Sale Donations
Most Library Friends groups host used book sales, which consist of books and other items donated by the public or discarded by the library. We are happy to accept books in good condition, CDs, and DVDs. Due to space limitations and lack of demand, we are unable to accept:
- Encyclopedias and dictionaries
- VHS tapes and audio cassettes
- Reader’s Digest condensed books
- Spiral-bound cookbooks
- Textbooks, computer, business, and travel books published more than 5 years ago
- Books that are damaged or that have a musty or smoky odor.
Below is information for current donation acceptance ability for each library Friends' group:
Friends of Alicia Ashman Library
Drop small donations (one or two boxes) off at the library. Ask at the desk to arrange for larger donations.
Friends of the Madison Public Library (at Central Library) - Facebook | Website | Friends Book Store (201 W. Mifflin St., in the Central Library)
Drop small donations (one or two boxes) off at the Friends' shop during open hours. For larger donations, please call 608-266-4875 to discuss.
Friends of Goodman South Madison Library - Facebook
Friends of Hawthorne Library - Facebook | email: mplhawthorne@gmail.com
Friends of Lakeview Library - Facebook
**Not accepting donations at this time.**
Friends of Meadowridge Library - Facebook
**Not accepting donations at this time.**
Monroe Street Library League - Facebook
Friends of the Pinney Library - Facebook | Website | email: friendsofthepinneylibrary@gmail.com
Friends of Sequoya Library - Facebook | Store on Google Maps (6672 Odana Road) | email: friendsofseq@gmail.com
Drop small donations (one or two boxes) off at the library. If you have a large donation, please call us in advance at 608-288-9848. We may not be able to accept the entire donation at one time. Donations may also be brought to our shop at 6672 Odana Road on Monday and Thursday mornings from 10am-noon.
Book Donations
Madison Public Library accepts gifts of new or gently-used books, magazines, DVDs, and music or books on compact disc. Decisions on whether and how donated items will be added to the Library’s collections are based on the same evaluative criteria that are applied to purchased materials.
With rare exceptions, we do not return items that are given to us. Items that are not added to the collections become part of the Friends of the Madison Public Library’s ongoing book sales or are sold at the Friends Book Store, which generate monies for the purchase of new materials.
There are some items we simply can't use. These include weekly news magazines and newspapers, Reader's Digest Condensed Books, National Geographic Magazines (we get more than we can use), VHS format videos, or encyclopedias and science or technical textbooks and magazines more than five years old.
Bring your donations to your local Madison Public Library location during open hours.
- Alicia Ashman Library, 733 N High Point Rd
- Central Library, 201 W Mifflin St
- Goodman South Madison Library, 2222 S Park St
- Hawthorne Library, 2707 E Washington Ave
- Lakeview Library -- *Not accepting donations at this time*
- Meadowridge Library -- *Not accepting donations at this time*
- Monroe Street Library, 1705 Monroe Street
- Pinney Library, 516 Cottage Grove Rd
- Sequoya Library, 4340 Tokay Blvd
If you have a large number of items to donate, call ahead to make arrangements to drop them off. The library does not assign a value to the donated items, but will sign a receipt / acknowledgment (in English PDF 22.4KB or Spanish PDF 11KB) indicating that we have received the materials. For more information about valuing old books, see Your Old Books, courtesy of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association.
Questions about your donations? Contact our Library Collection Manager, 608-266-6310 or collection@madisonpubliclibrary.org, or contact your local neighborhood library.