Attention - Book Dropoff - Friends of the Library are having an outside used book, dvd, cd, and puzzle drop off this Saturday September 13 from 930am to 100pm. Friends will be outside to help you unload from your car into a cart. We will be stationed at the south side of the library parking lot. Bring you books and etc to donate. Thanks!
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, October 1, 2025, at 12:15 in the Decatur Public Library's Madden Auditorium for Books Between Bites.
Book: Hello Beautiful
Presenter: Dick Virgin
About the Book: William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him—so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it’s as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable: Sylvie, the family’s dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book; Cecelia is a free-spirited artist; and Emeline patiently takes care of them all. With the Padavanos, William experiences a newfound contentment; every moment in their house is filled with loving chaos. But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable devotion to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most? An exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women, Hello Beautiful is a profoundly moving portrait of what is possible when we choose to love someone not in spite of who they are, but because of it. - Amazon
About the Author: Ann Napolitano's new novel, Hello Beautiful, was published on March 14th, 2023 by Dial Press in the US and on July 13th by Viking Penguin in the UK. Her novel, Dear Edward, was an instant New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna selection, and is now an Apple TV+ series starring Connie Britton. She is the author of the novels A Good Hard Look and Within Arm’s Reach. She was the Associate Editor of One Story literary magazine for seven years, and received an MFA from New York University. She has taught fiction writing for Brooklyn College's MFA program, New York University's School of Continuing and Professional Studies and for Gotham Writers' Workshop.
About the Presenter: Richard Virgin grew up in the St. Louis area and graduated with a teaching degree from SIU Carbondale. He began his teaching career in Northern Illinois and got his MAT from Rockford University and his Administration Certification from Northern Illinois University. He moved from teaching in northern Illinois to a principalship in O’Fallon, Illinois. From there he moved to Decatur where he was principal of Oak Grove School from 1978-1982. He then moved to Connecticut as a principal in East Lyme Connecticut. He was then named Director of the Regional Multicultural Magnet School (RMMS). RMMS was a voluntary desegregation project to bring students together from 10 communities into a school in an urban, inner-city location. The school opened in 1991 with 45 pupils and under Mr. Virgin’s leadership grew to over 500 students when he retired in 2006. With the success of this school, there are now several hundred such interdistrict schools in the state.
Mr. Virgin has six children and nine grandchildren and lives with his partner, Judy Steele. They enjoy reading, traveling, bridge, dominoes, politics and time with friends and families. Mr. Virgin enjoys flower gardening, working on puzzles, watching good detective series on TV, cooking, and projects.
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.
Cookbook sale at the Farmer’s market. The next one will be September 20, weather permitting.