Annual Appeal

Our Library. Our Community. Our Future Together.

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library: A Community Reimagined

The doors to the newly reimagined Sawyer Free Library are open, and the excitement across Gloucester is undeniable. This extraordinary community space is far more than a beautiful building — it is a reflection of who we are: rooted in tradition, fueled by creativity, and committed to an inclusive and vibrant future.

Inside, visitors will find welcoming areas for children, teens, and adults; expanded digital resources; and a sustainable, accessible design that ensures everyone in our community has a place to learn, gather, and grow. The Library has once again become our civic anchor — a place where curiosity is sparked, connections are made, and democracy is strengthened.

But while the ribbon has been cut, our work is not done.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we have reached 65% of our $28 million goal. To fully realize this once-in-a-century project, we must raise the final $8 million. One hundred percent of this year’s Annual Appeal supports the Sawyer Free 2025 Capital Campaign, helping us finish what we started and ensuring this remarkable community investment endures for generations.

This is Gloucester’s library. It belongs to all of us.

As we approach the end of the year, we hope the greater Cape Ann community will thoughtfully consider supporting the Annual Appeal. To make a tax-deductible donation, please visit www.sawyerfreelibrary.org or mail a contribution to:

Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, 2 Dale Avenue, Gloucester, MA 01930

Thank you for your generosity — and for believing in the power of libraries.

Sawyer Free Library Kicks off 2024 Annual Appeal

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Library’s 2024 Annual Appeal in support of the Sawyer Free 2025 Library Capital Campaign

The Sawyer Free Library has kicked off its 2024 Annual Appeal campaign, Our History to Tomorrow’s Possibilities: Transforming the Sawyer Free Library. With appeal letters reaching over 1,800 Gloucester households, the Library seeks community support to complete the 2025 Sawyer Free Library, a state-of-the-art facility where history meets innovation. All funds raised through the 2024 Annual Appeal will go directly to the Sawyer Free 2025 Library Capital Campaign, which has reached nearly 60% of its $29 million fundraising goal. Contributions will support the Library’s historic renovation, expansion, and modernization building project.

“The 2025 Sawyer Free Library will be more than just a building—it will stand as a beacon of knowledge, creativity, and connection. By supporting this transformative project, we are investing in our community’s future and creating an inclusive space where everyone can learn, grow, and thrive,” said Mern Sibley on behalf of the Library’s Board. “We need everyone’s help to make this vision a reality as we approach the finish line. Every gift, no matter the size, brings us closer to opening the doors to our new 21st-century Library.”

Scheduled to open in Fall 2025, the new Sawyer Free Library will serve as a vital community resource, offering expanded spaces for children, teens, and adults, enhanced digital resources, and sustainable design. It will boast a range of modern amenities, including a larger children’s area, a teen room with creative spaces, a digital learning lab, a local history research center, quiet study rooms, a 100-seat community room, and more. This new facility will allow the Library to serve a broader, more diverse audience and increase its offerings of public programs.

As the Library reaches this milestone, it invites the greater community and beyond to support the 2024 Annual Appeal, ensuring that the Sawyer Free 2025 Library can fully realize its potential as a beacon of learning and connection. Donations can be made online at sawyerfreelibrary.org or by mailing a check to Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, P.O. Box 415, Gloucester, MA 01930.

For additional information, and to donate to the Library’s Annual Appeal, please visit sawyerfreelibrary.org.

Sawyer Free Library Kicks Off 2023 Annual Appeal “Create the Future” to fund critical programming, resources and services

~ Sawyer Free Library

The SAWYER FREE LIBRARY has kicked off its 2023 Annual Appeal campaign, “Create the Future.”

Operating in its temporary location at 21 Main Street in downtown Gloucester, the Sawyer Free Library is a vibrant hub where the future comes alive through education and cultural enrichment and where knowledge is accessible to all, free of charge. From early literacy programs nurturing the youngest minds to cutting-edge STEM after-school programming for students to assisting digital learners in finding their way in the online world to a plethora of local community events for every age, the Library plays an integral role in shaping Gloucester’s educational, cultural, and social fabric.

The Sawyer Free Library relies on this important yearly fundraising effort to provide a wide range of new collections and resources, technology, innovative programming, and critical services to respond to the changing needs of the greater Gloucester community.

“The Library enriches, informs, and strengthens every corner of our city,” said Mern Sibley, President of the Library’s Board of Trustees. “We hope the community will carefully consider our appeal and join us in supporting the vital work of the Sawyer Free Library. Every contribution ensures that the Library can be exceptionally agile, relevant, and inventive while remaining completely accessible and free of charge.

“We provide library services that make a significant difference in the lives of our patrons and our community,” said Sawyer Free Library’s Director Jenny Benedict. “Every contribution to the Annual Appeal is a direct investment in the Library’s meaningful programming, diverse resources, and crucial services that create opportunities for individuals of all ages to connect, learn, grow and thrive throughout Gloucester and beyond.”

Contributions to the year-end Annual Appeal can be made online at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org or by check to the Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, P.O. Box 415, Gloucester, MA 01930.

Sawyer Free Library Kicks-Off Annual Appeal

~ Sawyer Free Library

The Sawyer Free Library has launched its 2021 Annual Appeal campaign,“Charting the Course.” Letters with appeal information are in the mail to over 1,500 Gloucester households. The goal is to raise $50,000 during this year-end campaign, which provides the Library with much-needed annual support. 

The Library relies on this yearly fundraising effort to provide a wide range of new collections and resources, technology, innovative programming, and critical services to respond to the changing needs of the Gloucester community.

Sawyer Free Library Annual Appeal

“The Sawyer Free Library’s mission is to be a place of learning, innovation, and creativity to support the community we serve. During this challenging time, we have learned that whether our Library services are delivered in a physical location or digitally, they’re not just “nice-to-haves” – these services are vital to our community,” said Mern Sibley, President of the Sawyer Free Library’s Board of Trustees. 

This year a record number of Sawyer Free Library users from near and far connected, learned, and experienced moments of comfort and joy, in-person and online. The Library offered hundreds of hours of responsive programming and learning opportunities for all ages. Strategic investments were made in the Sawyer Free’s digital device program, increasing the number of laptops, e-readers, tablets, and Wi-Fi hot spots available to patrons, especially those who needed connections for education and jobs. Its vast collection of e-books and audiobooks and online resources were also dramatically expanded.  Many new innovative and reimagined services emerge in response to the evolving landscape, including Digital Devices to Go, Job Seekers Resource Program, the Student Study Hall, Gloucester Connection, and more.

“Private support strengthens the Sawyer Free Library’s capacity to innovate and adapt to change, especially now as we move ahead and help our Gloucester community recover, rebuild and renew safely,” said Library Director Jenny Benedict. “Supporting the Annual Appeal makes the difference in helping job seekers, keeping kids on track for school success, assisting digital learners in finding their way in the online world, connecting newcomers and lifelong residents to current information about community services – and so much more.”

Donations to the Library’s Annual Appeal may be made by check to the Sawyer Free Library, Annual Appeal, P.O. Box 415, Gloucester, MA 01930, or online at www.sawyerfreelibrary.org.

THANK YOU! Sawyer Free Library’s Annual Appeal Campaign Goal Reached and Surpassed!

~ Sawyer Free Library

Thanks to the community’s incredible generosity, the Sawyer Free Library not only reached, but greatly exceeded its 2020 year-end fundraising goal! 


This year the Library was thrilled to welcome many new contributors and grateful that several returning donors increased their giving. No matter the amount, your support means so much, especially during a year that has been challenging for all. 


YOU, the community is at the core of our work. With your help the Sawyer Free Library has met this uncertain moment with certainty, expanding digital services, helping readers of print books to embrace e-books, giving parents resources to support at-home learning, connecting job-seekers with local networking opportunities, bringing world-renowned speakers into homes and so much more.  

Thank YOU for making it possible!


Your support of the Sawyer Free Library empowers individuals, strengthens families, and makes our great community a better place to live, for which we are deeply grateful. 

A few days left to help the Sawyer Free Library reach its year-end goal!

~ Sawyer Free Library

Before we turn the page on 2020 (not a second too soon), please consider giving to the Sawyer Free Library Annual Fund!

Your support empowers individuals, strengthens families and makes our community a better place to live. 

Sawyer Free Library is more than a place to find books; it is a place to connect, learn and grow, both within the walls of our building and beyond to your home, office or on the go. The Library provides resources for job seekers, support for language learners, early literacy programs for young children and their families, assistance with new technology, and help to navigate the increasingly complex world of online information.

Support Gloucester’s Sawyer Free Library

If you haven’t yet please donate today and help ensure that the Library continues to evolve to meet the needs of our community in the new year and beyond. 

You can help the library grow by making a tax-deductible donation online today to the

2020 Sawyer Free Library Annual Appeal!