The Library will be closed Friday 7/25/08. It will re-open Monday 7/28 at 10 a.m.
SUMMER CAMP hours are maintained Friday 7/25.

Jump to directions and hours

Mission Statement

The French Library Alliance Française of Boston (FAB) is a non profit organization whose mission is to provide an authentic French cultural and social experience for the purpose of personal enrichment and greater understanding of the diverse peoples of the French-speaking world.

Our library houses the second largest private collection of French books, periodicals, DVDs, and audio and video cassettes available in the US. Our school, a member of the Alliance Française network offers language classes and programs for adults and children. Our Cultural center showcases the many aspects of the francophone culture through numerous lectures, concerts, cooking demonstrations, wine-tastings, art exhibitions, holiday celebrations and more. Political and artistic personalities often hold talks at the FAB, making it the center of French culture in Boston.Read more about our services and offerings or browse the library offerings.

Please note: The FAB is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization: your membership and donations are tax-deductible.

Our past

  • Founded in 1945 by Americans, The French Library and Cultural Center has evolved from a one-room collection of 500 books to a notable international institution serving and educating the culturally diverse Francophone and Francophile communities of Boston and New England. The founders established a library of French books and periodicals and initiated programs "to promote cultural relations between France and the U.S." In the span of over sixty years, we have grown from a one-room lending library to a full-fledged cultural center occupying two historic mansions in Back Bay.
  • The Alliance Française of Boston & Cambridge, Inc. was founded in 1898 and is part of a network of nearly 1,500 Alliances Françaises located in 138 countries worldwide.
  • In the Summer of 2000, the two organizations agreed to join forces in the promotion of French language and culture and became the French Library and Cultural Center and the Alliance Française de Boston et Cambridge.

Today and the future

  • Today the French Library Alliance Française of Boston offers French classes to adults and children, as well as after-school programs serving the Boston Public School system. We are the second largest French library in the US and the Francophone Cultural center in New England.
  • We constantly undertake new initiatives to develop our education department, our library and our cultural center and better serve a growing community of French, Francophone, and Francophile patrons in Greater Boston and throughout New England.
  • To achieve our mission, we depend on the support and participation of our members and donors. Your membership and donations make a difference. Thank you for contributing to our mission.