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The Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library

Making NRPL's vibrant programs possible, thanks to neighbors like you!

Dear Donors and Supporters of the Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library:

Recently, you may have seen communications from the New Rochelle Public Library Board of Trustees

announcing suspension of all Friends Bookstore operations, effective October 16, 2026. Please be advised that

until further notice, the Friends will no longer accept donations of books or money.

The Friends were chartered in 1977 to sponsor and organize programs designed to add to the cultural life of the

New Rochelle community, community awareness and Library use. For almost 50 years, the Friends have received

books, donations and grants from the community for these purposes. That support in turn enables the Library to

offer programs and address other needs not underwritten by taxpayer dollars. The Friends also make it possible

for local residents with limited financial means to purchase books for themselves and their families at affordable

prices.

It is important to understand that the decision to close was made by the Library Board, NOT the Friends. Certain

regulatory obligations long applicable to the Library premises and staff are newly required of the Friends

volunteers by the Library administration – most of which are entirely appropriate. Our storage space was

overcrowded; patron safety and well-being is paramount. What has become problematic is the seemingly

arbitrary manner in which deadlines are imposed; the operational restraints we are forced to surmount, and the

Friends 12th hour inclusion in the Library reorganization planning processes. It seems that only after critical

decisions are made, the Friends are invited to the table for discussion.

We are deeply saddened about recent events. It is our hope and expectation that Bookstore operations will again

soon serve the Library and New Rochelle community.

To offer a modicum of transparency, what follows is a brief timeline of the past year:

• In late 2025, the Friends were told about an architectural review that took issue, quite reasonably, with

the unsafe storage of its 50,000 book inventory in the Library basement. We were told the collection had

to move to another site and that in January, the Friends and Trustee Boards would meet to finalize a plan

that was “respectful of (book)Store operations.” The Friends were advised in December that because of

the “time and resources” needed to accomplish the task at hand, the Library would not ask for program

funding for 2026.

• In January, the Trustees unilaterally established a move completion date of March, then moved that date

up to February, then to February 13. Our volunteers, which include many in their 70s and 80s, stepped

up. They accomplished the task by first prioritizing books to keep, then boxing, labelling and moving

them. The Library provided alternative space in a more finished basement room. However, over half the

collection had to be discarded due to space limitations. The Library paid for the removal and ultimate

disposal of those books.

• The Friends voluntarily ceased accepting book donations in February, due to space limitations. This

decision was communicated to the Trustee Board President. The Friends were then told that open

access to inventory in the new storage room would be conditioned on all volunteers’ completion of the 

Library staff’s sexual harassment training and background check requirements. Shortly thereafter,

basement elevator usage was restricted, the storage room basement locks were changed and any

Friends access to its book inventory made contingent on the availability of Library staff to supervise.

• In March, the Library informed the Friends that lobby space adjacent to the Bookstore used to display and

sell many of our book offerings was going to be repurposed for children’s programming purposes. With

staff assistance, the Friends moved the bookcases and shelving units from that area in April and

reconfigured the Bookstore layout in May to accommodate the Library’s plans.

• In June, since Library program funding remained flat for the new fiscal year, as a sign of goodwill, the

Friends presented and the Library accepted a check for $40,000 for its children, young adult and adult

community programs.

• Over the summer, Friends volunteers completed the sexual harassment training, courtesy of the Library’s

online system. The Friends also restructured its book pricing policies due to concerns earlier expressed

by several Board Trustees. The Library’s response to a July inquiry about the security and necessary

scope of the volunteer background checks was received in mid-August. The Friends implementation of

that formal process began in September.

• On August 24, a consultancy report anticipating renovations to be underwritten by the $55,000,000

capital bond revealed that the Friends Bookstore – funded by $70,000 in donor and supporter

contributions – would be displaced by a seating area with tables and chairs near the Lawton Street

entrance. In exchange, the Friends were offered several narrow bookshelves adjacent to the first floor

administration offices and told that this plan was to be implemented on November 1.

• The Friends responded on September 18 by identifying three alternate first floor sites that could

accommodate the Bookstore’s operations, inventory and continued patron access; one, in particular,

involved underutilized space beyond the subject bookcase, which currently houses several rows of

DVDs. Given the November deadline and logistics involved, the courtesy of a response before September

25 was requested.

• That same day, the Trustees told the Friends they would discuss the request and “get back to you at our

earliest convenience.” The November deadline for the reorganization remained and continues to remain

in place.

• The Friends had recently begun accepting book donations in an informal fashion, after informing the

Library and Trustees of their intentions. On October 3, we learned that Library staff and Security had been

instructed to turn all prospective book donors away.

Responding to the Friends’ conclusion that its functionality was no longer a welcome part of Library operations,

the Trustees have announced to the broad general public the immediate suspension of all Friends activities;

barred continued Friends’ access to its Bookstore, office and storage inventory; solicited new volunteers to

replace the existing membership, and refuses to engage in further discussion as long as any current Friends

Board member remains in office.

Hopefully this situation will soon be resolved and we once again will be able to contribute to the continued

growth and success of the Library and its community patrons.

The Friends of the New Rochelle Public Library, Inc., by

Amy Tietz, President Emeritus

Lynette Phillips, President Pro Tempore