In celebration of Russ Carrier’s 44 years of service to Forbes Library, the library invites community members to give to the Youth Programming Room. On Thursday, April 2, Library Giving Day, the library hopes to reach its fundraising goal of $50,000. All donations up to $25,000 will be matched by the Friends of Forbes Library. Gifts made in honor of Russ will help create a vibrant space where young people can learn, create, and connect—and will serve as a lasting tribute to the leadership and dedication that Russ has given to Forbes Library for more than forty years.
For more than four decades, Russ Carrier has been a guiding force behind the growth and transformation of Forbes Library. Now, as the library prepares to open a new youth programming room this spring, the community is invited to honor Russ’s extraordinary service by helping furnish this new space for young people.
Russ Carrier was first elected to the Board of Trustees in 1981 and was chosen as President of the Board at his very first meeting. Over the next four decades, his leadership helped shape nearly every major improvement to the library. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Russ guided the library through a decade of ambitious renovations that restored the historic building, modernized its infrastructure, redesigned every floor, and introduced computer technology throughout the library.
His leadership continued through major projects in the years that followed, including extensive exterior repairs in 2008 and a renovation of the Children’s Department in 2010. In 2013, Russ spearheaded the campaign to fund the accessible elevator at the library’s front entrance, dramatically improving access to the building. More recently, he led fundraising efforts for the library’s outdoor performance stage, renovations to children’s and teen spaces, and planning for a major redesign of the Coolidge Museum.
Over the course of his tenure, Russ worked alongside three library directors, five Northampton mayors, and generations of trustees. Twice, he helped guide the library through legal processes to expand the size of the Board of Trustees, resulting in board growth from three to seven members, strengthening governance for the future. His steady leadership also helped the library navigate the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining a strong partnership between the City of Northampton and the library which was codified in a legally binding agreement in 2017.
During his time as Board President, Russ celebrated several important milestones in the library’s history, including the 100th and 125th anniversaries of Forbes Library and the 50th anniversary of the Coolidge Museum. He helped usher the library into the digital age, served as a founding member of the Friends of Forbes Library, and played a key role in establishing endowment funds that continue to provide vital support today. The 130-year-old Forbes Library building stands in beautiful condition thanks in no small part to Russ’s decades of dedicated volunteer service. His extraordinary accomplishments resulted in being named Library Trustee of the Year in 2022 by the Massachusetts Library Trustee Association and State recognition for his outstanding record of service as a Trustee of Forbes Library in the form of a joint proclamation from Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Lindsey Sabadosa.
Before stepping down from the Board, Russ helped plan one final project: a new youth programming room that will serve children and teens for generations to come.
The youth room is scheduled to open during April school vacation week and will provide a welcoming gathering place for young people of all ages to attend free library programs such as storytimes, gaming clubs, crafting workshops, and book discussions. The City of Northampton has funded much of the construction through its Capital Improvements Program, while the library and the Friends of Forbes Library are raising funds to furnish the space with a mural, technology, furniture, floor coverings, and program supplies.
Donations supporting the youth programming room will be recognized on a plaque in the space.