October 18-24 Marks Nat'l Friends of Libraries Week

National Friends of Libraries Week 2026 is fast approaching: October 18-24. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate and fundraise before November ushers in the year’s busiest, most crowded time for fundraising.

There’s no single right way to celebrate. National Friends of Libraries Week is what you make of it; every participating Friends group gets to decide how to observe the occasion.

With that said, the organizer, United for Libraries, provides Friends with a free library (pun intended) of actionable ideas and material templates (HERE). You can also view MALF’s archived 2023 webinar, Making the Most of 'National Friends of Libraries Week'.

If you choose to celebrate this “holiday,” United for Libraries wants to hear about how. As an incentive, United will soon be accepting applications for the annual National Friends of Libraries Week Award. This honor, given to two Friends groups each cycle, comes with a $250 prize and national recognition.

Applications will be accepted November 2 – December 4. Winners will be announced in January. Click here for full details.

ICYMI: Last year, the Friends of the Moorhead Public Library won one of these two national awards! Volunteers in Moorhead packed a little bit of everything into their National Friends of Libraries Week activities. They collaborated with Mayor Shelly Carlson to designate October 19-25 as “Friends Week in Moorhead” – then sought and received front-page coverage in the local weekly newspaper.

Other community partners included Sifted & Sweet, who crafted library-themed cookies for sale, and Swing Barrel Brewing Co., which offered customers the opportunity to round up their bill to support The Friends. Belated congratulations to our ‘Friends’ in Moorhead!