Cheers to 150 Years! This coming Wednesday, August 27 from 6:30 to 8:00 Board of Trustees member Ashley Petty and Special Book Guy Tony Perry will be hosting Trivia Night at the Decatur Brew Works on behalf of the Decatur Public Library and the Friends of the Library. One of the categories will be about Banned Books (Banned Books Week is Octorber 5-10). Not only can you see these two Mug Club regulars live and in person, but you can also celebrate with the newest library beer created by Bob the Brewer: DPL Sesquicentennial Volume III which is a blueberry lemon sour. You can also buy a commemorative glass for $1 (if you buy the beer, $2 if you just want the glass) which features the Carnegie Library Decatur had from 1902 until 1970.
Calling all teachers - it’s time for our annual classroom sale. We will have sales in the area next to our bookstore. They will be every Thursday in August 3-6:30. Saturday 8/9 and 8/23 9:30-12:30. Come in and save 20 percent on classroom purchases.
Check out our new arrival shelves. We also have a lot of sets in the cozy mystery area. Romance paperbacks are fill a bag for $3!!! That’s a lot of romance! We added a second puzzle bookcase-located by DVDS. Also we have a huge selection of DVDS, CD’s and audio books marked down.
Annual FOL Membership Application 2025 FOL Membership Form Membership forms with payment may be mailed to "Friends of the Library, 130 N. Franklin St., Decatur, IL 62523" or brought into our Books & Beyond bookstore during business hours as listed in the letter.
FOL Phone Number - We do have an extension number you can use to notify us. Call the library at 217-424-2900 ex 6133. Leave a message and someone will return your call as soon as possible.
Book Donations - Reminder: we are still accepting donations of used books. There is a cart located outside the main library entrance where donations can be left. All genres are needed. This is one of our main routes of fundraising. Thank you again for supporting your community by supporting Friends of the Library ! Thanks.
Please join us on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at 12:15 in the Decatur Public Library's Madden Auditorium for Books Between Bites.
Book: The Woman They Could Not Silence
Presenter: Kathy Sorenson
About the Book: Discover the powerful and untold true story of resilience, advocacy, and the fight for women's rights in The Woman They Could Not Silence by acclaimed author Kate Moore. This gripping meticulously researched narrative shines a light on the remarkable journey of Elizabeth Packard, a pioneering woman whose indomitable spirit challenged the confines of her time. In the mid-19th century, Elizabeth Packard found herself trapped in an unjust world, silenced by a society that deemed her opinions and intellect unworthy. Braving the confines of an oppressive mental asylum, Elizabeth defied all odds as she fought for her freedom and the rights of countless other women confined against their will. With relentless determination,she became a voice that resonated across the nation, igniting a movement for change -Amazon
About the Author: Among other books, Kate is the author of The Radium Girls, which won the 2017 Goodreads Choice Award for Best History, was voted U.S. librarians’ favourite nonfiction book of 2017 and became a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestseller. A British writer based in England, Kate writes across multiple genres including history, biography, true crime and gift, and has had many titles on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Her work has been featured across international media and translated into more than fifteen languages. A born public speaker, Kate regularly tours her books and is equally at home spinning stories onstage as she is writing them on her laptop. - Kate Moore website
About the Presenter: Kathy Sorensen is retired from Richland Community College where she worked for 25 years in the Student Services Department. At various times she was Director of a Displaced Homemaker Program, Director of the Career Center and an academic advisor. In retirement she taught Spanish classes part time at RCC. She currently volunteers for several organizations including The Garden Club of Decatur, The Beautify Decatur Coalition, and Decatur Sister Cities. Kathy is an avid reader and belongs to two book club
Books Between Bites is a free program at the Decatur Public Library, sponsored by Friends of the Decatur Public Library
FOL booksales are at the library 3 to 4 days a week! At the new Friends area on the lower level of the library. Every Monday from 10:30am – 2:30pm, Tuesdays from 10:30am – 2:30pm, Thursdays from 3pm – 6:30pm. And second & fourth Saturdays sales are from 9:30am – 12:30pm.
25 Cent CDs and DVDs!
Tony The Special Book Guy doubles as our Music/ Movie Guy and he has pulled all yellow dotted CDs and DVDs off their shelves and given them their own shelf and he has them all marked down to just one thin quarter. That is correct! We now have hundreds of CDs and DVDs marked at just 25 cents!
Tony has also added new documentaries and new classical and instrumental CDs as well as rock/ pop CDs. You can find the new arrivals on those shelves by looking for the pink dot! Of course those are still one dollar each, but that is still a heck of a deal!