Port Jefferson Free Library

Department: Special Collections
100 Thompson Street
Port Jefferson, New York 11777-1897
Phone: 631-473-0022
Fax: 631-473-4765
Contact:
Samantha Winter - swinter@portjefflibrary.org
Geolocation:

Port Jefferson Free Library

About

The Library was founded in March 1908 by the Ladies Literary Society and was organized as a reading room. Membership grew and on November 22, 1909 the library incorporated under the name of the Port Jefferson Free Library Association. The original library was located on the second floor of the Robbins store, which stood at what is now the southwest corner of East Main Street and East Broadway. In 1910, the Good Templar's Hall on East Main Street, was purchased for use as a library building. In 1911 the library received its permanent charter from the State of New York, and in 1912, the absolute charter.

The construction of the present building on the corner of Thompson and East Main Streets, began in 1924. It was officially opened the following year. In 1967 an addition of approximately 14,000 square feet was constructed on land that had been donated to the Library in 1947 by the news commentator H. V. Kaltenborn.

On November 2, 1997 a new 8,500 sq. ft. addition was officially dedicated. The space provided the Children's Library with its own activity room; book stack area, a quiet study porch, a gallery hall and elevator. The renovations allowed for restoration of the original 1924 building as an adult reading room. Several years later in 2003 an enclosed atrium was constructed as a protected entry.

The Library is chartered to serve residents of the Port Jefferson Union Free School District #6, and provides a public facility that extends services and borrowing privileges to library cardholders of all Suffolk County Libraries. The Library, along with the Comsewogue Public Library provides full library services to the residents of the Miller Place and Mount Sinai School District on a contract basis. In 2005 the Library building was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places, a distinction designating it as worthy of preservation and restoration.Visit the Port Jefferson Free Library website

Port Jefferson Free Library is a member of the Long Island Library Resources Council.

Collections

Port Jefferson Postcards

Historic postcards of Port Jefferson, NY.