PPL Marks 150 Years with a Year-long Celebration . . .
Celebrating its rich history and tradition of community service, the Library kicked off a year-long observance early in the year with the launch of an online 150 Anniversary tribute followed by a 150th birthday party on April 12. PPL’s official birthday (April 7, 1875) coincidentally fell within 2025 National Library Week – the annual celebration of the valuable role libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities. Hundreds joined the Library for a day of fun, participating in maker activities in PPL’s Workshop, special family storytimes, library-wide scavenger hunt, giveaways, and more. Many who attended chose to join the ranks of PPL Alum, offering theirs to the Library’s “love stories.”
“PPL has a rich history and tradition of extraordinary service in Providence and for all Rhode Islanders, really,” said Jack Martin, PPL Executive Director. “During our celebrations this year we’re highlighting PPL’s vital role in and commitment to our community over the decades, specifically the Library’s mission and dedication to meeting the needs of the day – whatever they may be – through the development of innovative services and programs. This has been a defining element of PPL’s rich history.”
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Next, the Library held an extra-special 10th annual Savor the Story Gala in May, commemorating PPL’s enduring role at the heart of our community.
Notable PPL Alum Through History
William E. Foster - a lasting vision for community service
William E. Foster (the Library’s first librarian who served from 1877 – 1930) “developed a public library whose methods and practices were observed with interest by the entire library world,” according to Clarence E. Sherman, PPL’s second chief librarian. Tasked with the job of building and shaping Providence’s new public library, Foster demonstrated his belief in popularizing the pleasures and values to be found in reading, including developing his own system of book classification (before Dewey’s Decimal System was published). Foster’s commitment to the community manifested in a number of pioneering practices, establishing an enduring legacy that remains alive today. His belief in establishing “contacts” with schools and colleges, museums, foreign groups, local industries, hospitals, the blind, and with individual readers interested in self-education – his word for public relations – was “essential to the best service.”
Lyra Brown Nickerson - an unparalleled legacy of support
Following the example established by other generous philanthropists like Henry L. Kendall, John Wilson Smith, and John Nicholas Brown – whose gifts in 1895 enabled the Library to build a lasting home – as well as her own father Edward I. Nickerson, who served as a PPL trustee for 30 years, Lyra Brown Nickerson honored her father and commemorated their shared legacy of support for the Library by making a bequest of $2.5 million in 1916.
Her gift became PPL’s largest ever; and it helped to establish a branch system of libraries throughout the city of Providence – forever changing the public’s expectations of this treasured institution. Miss Nickerson was only 30 at the time of her death, but her bequest remains the largest individual gift ever given and has served to ensure PPL’s future. It continues to sustain the Library and her community to this day, more than 100 years later!
Martha P. Sherman - an unmmatched library advocate
Martha P. Sherman, Trustee Emerita, had a long history of working for the betterment of libraries throughout Rhode Island, and, in particular, a deep love for and loyalty to PPL. From her early association with PPL in 1958 until her passing in 2020, Mrs. Sherman exhibited an unwavering vision and inspiration, dedicating herself to strengthening the Library’s role as an intellectual forum and educational and cultural center in the community. She advocated for all Rhode Island libraries, championing not only for their important role as critical resource centers, but also lobbying for both federal and state library funding reform. In addition, she dedicated herself to establishing lasting mechanisms for community support through her philanthropic work on behalf of PPL. In recognition of her unparalleled legacy of library service – which included decades of advocacy and extremely generous personal financial support – PPL honored her with one of its inaugural Enlightenment Awards in 2013.
Recent PPL Alum
Olivia
“The Teen Loft gives teenagers a place to be, and a place to just talk and get help. And it's just fun when we have the different events. Like we had a cookie decorating party once, or we have movie night. There's a Manga Club; it's just a good place to be.”
Osmary
“I'm a mom of four, very close in age – 10, eight, six and four. PPL has been an awesome resource to me. There are a lot of programs out there that are not accessible for my family financially. This library has been an amazing place to come with them. Not only to grab books that they're excited to read, but also the access to programming that we wouldn't be able to afford.”
Jo
“My ultimate passion is the Providence Public Library. Through books, the Library puts the world at your fingertips. If you don’t go to the library, you don’t have the same chances to learn and expand your knowledge using all the various programs PPL has to offer.
With PPL being a privately funded library, that is why I donate to PPL instead of other libraries. It’s where my Providence life started, and it’s where my money will land. I’ve decided to include PPL in my estate plans because I want to know that it will be dispersed amongst places where my library family will put it to good use.”
Olivia
“When I arrived in the US, I knew very little English. I couldn't go anywhere alone because I couldn't communicate well. I attended the Library's RIFLI English as a Second Language program to improve my English, learn more about US culture, and to feel more integrated in society.
I learned a lot, and after a year, I can already communicate better and more confidently at work. I got my driver license, can schedule appointments, go to the doctor alone, without an interpreter. My experience was extraordinary. I had opportunities to practice in all aspects...reading, listening, speaking, writing and grammar. All of the instructors I’ve studied with are dedicated professionals who push students to help achieve their goals.”
