At the library’s public unveiling of the collections on March 28, 2026, renowned Alcott scholar Daniel Shealy observed that the new holdings encompass “numerous unpublished letters, hundreds of books, complete manuscripts, important presentation copies of books—most of them first editions—ephemera, photographs, first appearances of tales in periodicals, obscure and rare printings of books, and even unpublished journals.” According to Professor Shealy, the collections as a whole are “almost breathtaking in [their] scope and importance.”
The William Munroe Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library has recently expanded one of the nation’s most significant archives devoted to Louisa May Alcott and her remarkable family. With the acquisition of several newly discovered letters by Alcott and two important collections assembled over decades, the Library has added new layers of insight into the life, work, and legacy of the author of Little Women.
The Concord Free Public Library is one of the most unique small libraries in America. It was founded in 1873 as a public/private partnership between the non-profit Library Corporation and the Town of Concord. From the beginning, the Library Corporation has been a dedicated steward as the owner of the buildings, grounds, and special collections, and the Town has provided the outstanding staff. This successful partnership has created a dynamic and exciting community center for lifelong learning where everything is free and open to the public.
The Concord Free Public Library’s Special Collections holds a rich and extensive collection relating to Herbert Wendell Gleason (1855-1937), a prominent American landscape photographer and environmentalist. The holdings include close to 7,000 Gleason negatives on glass plates and film, Gleason’s slide lecture “Thoreau’s Country,” albums of Concord, and Thoreau-related images compiled by Gleason himself, as well as correspondence and lecture notes.
Victor Curran: On the Concord Free Public Library website, you wrote, “It is a very exciting time to get to know the staff, to serve this wonderful community and all those who support the library.”
By early next year, the renovation and expansion of the Concord Free Public Library will be complete. This transformative project, eight years in the making, broke ground during the pandemic, but remained on-time and on-budget in spite of the challenges. Showcasing the designs of architects from Johnson Roberts and Associates, the newly renovated Library has something to offer everyone in our community, and as always, it’s free and open to all.
What was your first experience at your library? Was it a story hour? Or checking out your summer reading? With access to information now so freely available, we sometimes take it for granted, but it wasn’t always that way. Free and easy access to information, whether online or in a physical library, evolved from the beginnings of
the country.
