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Updates

September 2026

Have you been in the library building lately?  Please come look at the new bookcases on the second floor—perfect on their own merit, but a prelude to the restoration of the windows behind the shelves. The Goffstown Public Library Foundation is delighted to be able to support this work and see the tangible progress being made.

Financial contributions to the Foundation have made this work possible, and we are thankful. If you have contributed in the past, go run your hands along those shelves and touch what you have helped to create.  If you contributed during NH Gives in June, run your hands along those shelves while looking out at the town through the windows which you are helping to restore. Chapter 1 of our Seal the Deal Campaign provided for the storm windows that “seal the deal” of the second-floor windows, protecting the library during the historic window restoration project and beyond.  THANK YOU for your help.  

As in any building, especially one that is over 100 years old, there is more to be done, and contributions are still much needed for Seal the Deal, Chapter 2, as we fundraise for exterior projects. Contributions may be made by check (payable to “GPLF” and mailed to GPLF c/o Goffstown Public Library, 2 High St, Goffstown NH 03045), or online via a credit card at How to Give. Check with your employer about corporate matching opportunities. Our EIN is 85-3993353. 

Supporting GPLF can be more active than writing a check— we love our volunteers and supporters, whether that’s skating at Remix Event Center at one of our occasional events, volunteering at Once Upon A Pie, or raising your hand for a role on our Board of Directors. 

We are rleady preparing for our annual extravaganza, the Once Upon A Pie event on Saturday, November 21. Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, it is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and you can participate by baking pies, eating pies, buying pies, judging pies, or participating in any number of other ways. Watch for our call for volunteers.

There are opportunities to participate regularly or periodically in the work of the Foundation, to help support the Goffstown Public Library. If you are interested in joining the Goffstown Public Library Foundation or its Outreach Committee, please email us at info@gplnhfoundation.org or visit our website, and explore what might be right for you.

Deb McCarter, GPLF Board of Diectors

 

 

March 2026

 Dear Neighbors and Supporters,

We are ready to start Chapter Two of our Seal the Deal Campaign.  Our goals for the next year include funding exterior library projects, such as painting the exterior/trim, repair/replace the exterior elevator room clapboard siding, and repointing of the brick masonry. With your donation, the Goffstown Public Library will continue to be a vibrant part of our community for many more years. We would be grateful if you would include the Goffstown Public Library Foundation in your charitable giving.

With your support, the Goffstown Public Library Foundation has been able to provide $29,308 toward the historic window restoration project.  These funds will be used to modify an existing bookcase and purchase storm windows in preparation for the removal of the original windows for restoration. 

Fundraising events to look forward to include Skate Night April 1st at Remix in Manchester.  This fundraiser is a great family event.  Come, skate, have fun and support the Goffstown Public Library Foundation as well.  NH Gives, which is 24 hours of giving, is this June 9-10, 2026.  We have also completed an application to take part in charitable gaming; we are still searching for a partner, but we are ready.

The Foundation currently has a Director slot open, if you would like to become involved. Another opportunity to participate would be to join our newly formed Outreach Committee. Perhaps this is where you would like to be involved. If you are interested in joining the Goffstown Public Library Foundation or the Outreach Committee, please email us at info@gplnhfoundation.org or visit our website.

Contributions may be made by check (payable to “GPLF” and mailed to GPLF c/o Goffstown Public Library, 2 High St, Goffstown NH 03045), or online via a credit card (PayPal) at How to Give. Check with your employer about corporate matching opportunities. Our EIN is 85-3993353. 

Thank you.

 Kathy Coughlin, Chair, Goffstown Public Library Foundation 

December 2025

The village was sparkling with lights as we viewed it from above. Last Friday was the first (hopefully, first annual) opportunity for a lucky family to observe the Friday Night under the Lights event from the cozy comfort of the third floor of the library. Warm hot chocolate, home-baked snacks and a lighted Santa were part of the celebration, won by the highest bidder for the privilege. This package was auctioned off at the wildly popular Once Upon a Pie event, held just before Thanksgiving on November 22. It was a frigid night, and while there was much to enjoy walking around town, this warm celebration and bird’s eye view made it even more special.  The winners also received a voucher for a live Christmas tree donated by the Goffstown Lions Club, hand-crafted wooden ornaments, a ceramic birdhouse and a Friends of the Library tote bag. Just as valuable, the auction proceeds benefit the Goffstown Public Library Foundation, in support of our efforts to raise funds for the capital needs of the library. 

If you missed Once Upon a Pie last month, start planning now for next year. You can enter a pie for judging, or just attend and eat pie by the slice, or bid on the prize-winning pie entries from over 10 categories. Watch the Facebook page, follow us on Instagram or join our mailing list . See photos of the competition as we celebrate the winning bakers, including a kid’s category. If you did attend, come back next year and bring friends. It is low-stress, yummy evening for the whole family, and it is our biggest fundraiser of the year, so your fun can also support your local library via the Foundation. See you there!

The Foundation Board congratulates the Library Board of Trustees on a successful application for New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) funding for Chapter 1 of Seal the Deal, matched by voter support. This funding will make possible the restoration and repair of the library’s original windows. The Foundation’s Seal the Deal campaign continues, with a goal of raising $60,000 over the next 1-2 years, providing evidence to LCHIP and other entities of the support of the community, as we seek needed funding to protect our beloved library and its contents by meeting capital needs. We will keep supporting the library as its Board and staff identify the next priorities. Can you help?   You can send a check made payable to the Goffstown Public Library Foundation, c/o Goffstown Public Library, 2 High St, Goffstown NH 03045 any time, and save credit card transaction fees. You can also conveniently donate online. 

Our library is one of the gems of Goffstown, bringing together children and adults, not just for reading, but many other community events. It is easy to become a part of these shared experiences and enjoy your neighbors. That is a gift for this holiday season and beyond!

If you are ready for more than reading or eating pie, please consider volunteering for the Goffstown Public Library Foundation. There are many ways to contribute and be part of the team. Will you join us?

Questions?  Reach out and ask!

Deborah McCarter, GPLF Board of Directors

 

November 2025

Dear Neighbors and Supporters,          

The Goffstown Public Library Foundation is raising money to provide matching funds for various restoration projects. Our aim from the Seal the Deal campaign is to raise $60,000 over the next two years to show the community support needed for the Library’s Board of Trustees grant applications with the New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP). The current grant opportunity, matched with contributions, will fund restoration of the original windows. 

We hope you were able to join us for our annual Once Upon a Pie event that raises money while serving great pie. That event kicked off our end-of-year giving window. 

With your donation to the Foundation, the Goffstown Public Library will continue to be a vibrant part of our community for countless more years. We would be grateful if you would include the Goffstown Public Library Foundation in your charitable giving. 

Libraries transform communities and lives. The Goffstown Public Library has enriched lives since its inception—from children and families, teens and students, reading groups and civic organizations, and anyone else looking for information, enjoyment, and community connection.

Contributions may be made by check (payable to “GPLF” and mailed to:  GPLF c/o Goffstown Public Library, 2 High St, Goffstown NH 03045), or online here. For higher value donations, please consider mailing a check, rather than using credit transactions, which charge fees that reduce your donation.

Ask your employer about corporate matching opportunities to give more impact to your donation!

Note that the 2025 GPLF Annual Meeting is December 10, 2025 at 6:30 pm on the 3rd floor of the Library.

Kathy Coughlin

Chair, Goffstown Public Library Foundation 

October 2025 Dreaming of Pie

Fall is my favorite season. The leaves are pretty, and I enjoy the milder temperatures. Fall brings corn mazes, which I love, and giant pumpkins. Fall also brings us closer to my favorite community event, the Once Upon a Pie Baking Competition and Auction.

Once Upon a Pie has been a favorite of mine since our family moved to Goffstown. One year, we hosted a pie party to get ready and test our pie ideas out on our friends to figure out which ones we’d enter in the competition.

Now that the Foundation has taken the reins for this event, I get to be involved in all aspects from planning, to categorizing pies and helping to ensure that the event runs smoothly.

Our board of directors is already hard at work planning for this year’s Once Upon a Pie scheduled for November 22. We’ll host the event at Goffstown High School again this year, so if you haven’t blocked the day off in your calendar yet, this is your reminder.

While the directors work hard to bring this event to the community, it would not be possible without our many friends and neighbors willing to volunteer. Everyone who bakes a pie (or a few), all of our judges and all the volunteers who help us throughout out the day with set-up, intake, and pie slicing are an integral part of the event. We couldn’t do it without you all and we are beyond grateful for each and every one of you.

If you’ve never attended, it’s a great night of community and coming together to support the needs of our library. If you’ve enjoyed the event and want to volunteer to help out for an hour or two on the day of the event, we’d love to have your support. Please use our sign-up form to let us know you’d like to volunteer and how to get in touch with you.

I hope you’ll join us at Once Upon a Pie this year. It’s time to start dreaming up new winning flavor combinations. See you November 22, 2025!

Until then, I’ll be dreaming of pie.

Aimee Huntemann
GPLF Board of Directors

June 2025 A Reminisence

This quarter, I’d like to reminisce.  

My favorite memories are of the Saturday afternoons when my mom dropped off me and my siblings at the local library.  It was a 2-story brick and granite structure near the end of our downtown, with a lay-out similar to our Goffstown Public Library.  The children’s section was in the basement area.  It was a cool, quiet space where I could peruse to my heart’s content, make my choices and settle in to read until it was time to go. It was only that…books. No programs, no workshops, no museum passes, no on-line resources. But I loved it still.

These days, libraries are so much more.  Visit the GPL.  Get a library card.  Open a world of possibilities.  Go to https://goffstownlibrary.com/.  Open their calendar.  Sign up for their monthly newsletter, delivered to your in-box. Stop in to meet the friendly and knowledgeable staff.  Get book recommendations, find out about new releases or get help with research. If they don’t have a particular book, you may request it from one of the 15 libraries in the GMILCS consortium. 

You can sign up for programs or workshops, join book discussion or knitting groups or sign up for museum passes.  Check out the seed library for your gardening needs; Grow a(n extra) Row to supplement the local food pantry.  Got a Kindle, Nook or iPad?  Borrow books or magazines on-line through the e-library. There is so much available to you and your family!

But something you WILL notice, our wonderful facility is bursting its seams.  A library building that was fitting for a population of approximately 5,000 in 1909 is woefully undersized for a community of over 18,000.  

Come, see for yourselves.  You will be welcomed and greeted with a smile.

Evelyn Redmond, Vice Chair, Goffstown Public Library Foundation

April 2025 Celebrating National Library Week & Supporting Goffstown Public Library

The Goffstown Public Library Foundation is now raising money to provide matching funds for the planned window preservation project. We aim to raise $60,000 over the next few years as part of the community support needed for New Hampshire Land and Community Heritage Investment Program (LCHIP) grants. NH LCHIP is an independent state authority that provides matched grants to New Hampshire communities and non-profits to protect and preserve the state’s natural, cultural, and historic resources.

Chapter 1: The current windows are original to the historic building and need to be preserved to continue to survive our New Hampshire weather, help us Seal the Deal, and the building with your generous donation. The Library Trustees have been working to identify and prioritize projects to maintain the historic building and the Foundation is here to help. Some funding sources have diminished with the decrease in federal grants, making our plea to our local donors even more important.

With your donation, the Goffstown Public Library will continue to be a vibrant part of our community for many more years. We would be grateful if you would include the Goffstown Public Library Foundation in your charitable giving.

Libraries transform communities and lives. The Goffstown Public Library has been enriching lives since its inception—from children and families, teens and students, reading groups and civic organizations, to anyone looking for information, enjoyment, and community connection.

Contributions may be made by check (payable to “GPLF” and mailed to GPLF c/o Goffstown Public Library, 2 High St, Goffstown NH 03045), or online here at How to Give. Check with your employer about corporate matching opportunities.

Kathy Coughlin
Chair, Goffstown Public Library Foundation

December 2024: A Message of Gratitude

To our Goffstown neighbors,

As the year comes to a close, we reflect on the generosity of our community. We are grateful to each of you who contributed financially in response to our fall appeal letter. As we’ve mentioned previously, the Foundation has pledged funds for an upcoming interior project at the Goffstown Public Library. Your support this year allows us to continue to grow the Foundation’s funds for future commitments.

On November 23, we hosted the annual Once Upon a Pie event at Goffstown High School, our largest annual fundraising event. Attendance and contributed pies exceeded last year’s level. Our enthusiastic donors bought slices of pie and bid successfully on beautifully crafted pies, resulting in over $3,000 raised. Our gratitude runs deep and wide; the Foundation acknowledges the support of bakers, attendees, judges, Foundation and Library Board of Trustees volunteers, the Teen Advisory Board, our auctioneer and MCs, Goffstown High School, and many others.     

As the Foundation continues to work to assist with the expense of the restoration projects that the Library Board of Trustees has identified, we welcome your year-end support. Contributions may be made by check (payable to “GPLF” and mailed to 2 High St, Goffstown NH 03045), or via credit card and other means. See our How to Give page. 

We’re grateful for the service of outgoing Foundation directors Sue Riel and Emily Petrie. Their commitment to the Foundation and to the Library’s capital projects has been significant. At its annual meeting earlier this month, the Foundation re-elected Bill Babine and Curt DeVetter to three-year terms and welcomed Deborah McCarter to the Board, electing her to a three-year term. See our About page for a list of Foundation directors and bios. 

The Foundation’s directors wish you all a happy holiday season. We look forward to your participation in our community events and fundraising efforts in the year ahead.

Sincerely,

Kathy Coughlin
Chair, Goffstown Public Library Foundation

September 2024 Appeal

To our Goffstown neighbors,

Your support has allowed the Goffstown Public Library Foundation to raise awareness of our mission, to support the capital needs of the library and engage in grassroots fundraising. We are committed to supporting the capital needs of the library and have pledged funds for a small upcoming interior project. This pledge does not preclude our long-term goal of an addition to the building. We continue to participate in town events, and soon will be hosting our largest community and fundraising event, Once Upon a Pie, on November 23, 2024, at Goffstown High School. We hope to see you there!

Libraries can and do transform communities and lives. The Goffstown Public Library has been enriching lives for 115 years—for children and families, teens, and students, reading groups and civic organizations, and anyone else looking for information, enjoyment, and community connection.  

This is just the beginning. The Foundation will continue our efforts to raise money to assist in the restoration projects the Library Board of Trustees has identified. With your financial support, the Goffstown Public Library will continue to be a vibrant part of our community for many more years. We would be grateful if you would include the Goffstown Public Library Foundation in your charitable giving. 

Contributions may be made by check (payable to “GPLF” and mailed to 2 High St, Goffstown NH 03045), or via credit card and other means. See our How to Give page. 

We cannot do this alone. Thank you for considering your part in this important community resource. 

Kathy Coughlin
Chair, Goffstown Public Library Foundation

The Goffstown Public Library Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Our EIN is 85-3993353. Will your employer match your gift? 

  

Message From the Library Board of Trustees

UPDATE 8/17/23:

The Library Board of Trustees (LBOT) will not be pursuing a warrant article in 2024 for the previously proposed expansion of the public library. The project has been removed from the town’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP) Matrix. It does, however, remain notated on the form for possible consideration at a later date.

The results of last year’s election were clear, and the short-term plan will be to focus our efforts on the renovations and repairs that are required immediately to maintain the building’s safety and to provide accessibility.

The Goffstown Public Library will continue to offer the award-winning service that our town has come to expect and enjoy. The LBOT will continue its dedication and service to the town and will continue to advocate for our public library.

We’re proud of the beautiful and historic building that has been the Goffstown Public Library’s home since 1909. Our beautiful and very old building needs some renovation and repair so that the library can continue to operate in a safe and accessible manner for its staff and visitors. The LBOT is seeking the town’s support in accomplishing these goals. The LBOT meets on the first and third Wednesday evenings of the month; all meetings are public. Dates are included at www.goffstownlibrary.com/calendar

Further communication should be addressed to the Library Board of Trustees at trustees@goffstownlibrary.com