The idea for a public library in LaFayette was first suggested and encouraged by Mrs. Frances Williams, the wife of Dr. C.S. Williams. A meeting of interested residents of the town was held in May, 1936 at which five trustees were chosen. These trustees were Frances Williams, Ruby Dodge, Anna Long, Iva Locke and Julia Mason. In December of that year Mrs. Mason resigned to serve as librarian and she was succeeded by Ruby McVoy as trustee.

Books were donated by many persons and the library was opened in the Crowe Building at a brief program on the evening of June 23, 1936. In December the Town Board agreed to fund the new library in the amount of $400.00 per year. Ten years later, in 1946, the annual funding was raised to $450.00 per year. Town support has been increased over the years including funds from other sources.

From 1945 to 1959 the library was housed in the Rozelle Building but it was returned to the Crowe Building, by then owned by the Long brothers, where it was located until 1962. Through the next four years space was found in the former Barrett house on the site of the present Maher Building.

In October 1964 a new property was purchased from the estate of Miss Caroline Farrington. It was paid for by a Building Fundraiser over the years through countless sales and projects undertaken by the trustees and interested patrons. One year later construction was begun on the new building which included the front portion of the former residence. Work was completed by the summer of 1966.

On July 21, 1968 the LaFayette Public Library was formally awarded its absolute charter by the Regents of the University of the State of New York.

The LaFayette Public Library moved to its present location in 1996.

The Kirkland Town Library first opened its doors on December 11, 1901. The 32 circulating books were housed in two rented rooms of the Sigma Phi Fraternity house. This nineteenth century Victorian building, built in 1871, is still the home of the library. To obtain funds to open the library, the trustees solicited members to join the Association. Two hundred and twenty-six people enrolled, each contributing one dollar annually. During the first year, the Sigma Phi house was put up for sale for $3,000. Elihu Root, born in Clinton and at that time Secretary of War under President McKinley, was instrumental in the purchase.

In 1959, the library became a charter member of the Mid-York Library System. Public libraries in Oneida, Herkimer, and Madison County maintained their independence but agreed to work together to share resources and improve services to all residences. Today, all libraries share a common online catalog and registered users can borrow materials from any member library.

In 1960, the Kirkland Art Center was formed and moved into the upstairs rooms of the library. The KAC soon outgrew this space and in 1966 purchased its current home, the old Methodist Church on East Park Row. The Clinton Historical Society moved into the vacated rooms. This area housed their collection until 1995 when they purchased the Baptist Church on Fountain Street.

The Friends of the Library were organized in 1963 with the combined purpose of raising money for library projects and providing volunteers to meet special needs. In 1973 they raised $15,000 over a two-year period to match a foundation grant to supplement the library materials budget.

In 1995, the Board of Trustees implemented a $550,000 expansion project. Over 90% of these funds were raised within the community. An addition to the existing building added 2,000 square feet of space. Heating and lighting were updated, an elevator was installed and a parking lot was added.

The Kirkland Town Library is chartered by the state of New York to serve the residents of the Town of Kirkland. We invite you to come see what is happening at your library!

In 1890, the founder of Keuka College, a Baptist minister named Rev. George Harvey Ball, had a vision. Today, we continue that mission by educating young students and adult learners “to bring strength to our nation and to help humanity” through combined classroom and experiential learning activities. We challenge students to develop their intellectual curiosity and to realize, with purpose and integrity, their full personal and professional potential.

The Keuka College Archives and Special Collections (KCASC) collect, describe, preserve, and make accessible the non-current official records, publications, ephemera, and other materials by and/or about persons, organizations, or events associated with Keuka College, which have legal, administrative, or historical value. These collections are housed in the Lightner Library. For more information about our collections, please visit: https://libguides.keuka.edu/kcasc.

Keene Valley Library was created in 1885 when it was recognized that a collection of reading materials would benefit the community and its visitors. The Regents of the Sate of New York granted the Library its permanent charter in 1899. The library, located in Keene Valley in the Adirondacks, has a great collection of archival materials relating to local history.
The mission of the Keene Valley Library is to connect people to ideas, experiences, information, and the community in a comfortable, welcoming setting.

The John Jermain Memorial Library is the free public library of Sag Harbor, New York. It is located on the South Fork of the East End of Long Island, approximately 100 miles from New York City.

The library was commissioned by part-time Sag Harbor resident and philanthropist Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage in memory of her grandfather, Major John Jermain, and presented by her as a gift to the people of Sag Harbor. The Greek classical revival building was designed by Augustus N. Allen and includes a domed ceiling built by the R. Guastavino Company. On October 10, 1910 the doors opened with 5,000 volumes available, with Olive Pratt Young acting as librarian. In 1911, Mrs. Sage helped finance local pharmacist and Algonquian linguist William Wallace Tooker’s book Indian Place-Names on Long Island. The book was published for the library by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. As part of this agreement, Tooker’s personal library and a portion of his personal papers were donated to John Jermain. Along with Mrs. Sage’s own personal donations of artifacts and documents, the Sag Harbor History Room collection was formed.

In 2009, residents of the Sag Harbor Union Free School District approved a referendum for the complete restoration of the historic 1910 building and a three-story addition. The building reopened to the public on July 23, 2016.

Today, Local History and Special Collections holds and continues to collect rare books, photographs, personal and family papers, business records, newspapers, maps, pamphlets, artists’ books, artifacts, scrapbooks, oral histories, video recordings, and ephemera documenting the history, people, and communities of Sag Harbor.

The Jervis Public Library Association was incorporated in 1894 by an act of the New York state legislature. The Association took its name from prominent American civil engineer John Bloomfield Jervis, who bequeathed funds, property, and his personal collection of books and papers for the purpose of founding a library facility for the citizens of his home town, Rome, NY. Although a downtown site for a new library building was debated, in the end it was decided that the Jervis homestead would make an ideal location for Rome's public library. Melvil Dewey, inventor of the famous Dewey Decimal System for classifying books, helped draft Jervis Library's bylaws.

Jericho’s history begins with the formation of Long Island in the Ice Age and continues with the Native American inhabitants, Dutch and English colonists and Quaker settlers. It ends with Jericho’s transformation to a suburban community.

The library at Jefferson Community College is a portal for resources that facilitate teaching and learning. The Library enhances the learning experience for students, both on and off campus, by providing a supportive environment and appropriate resources to promote collaborative and individual learning. The library staff works with faculty as a team to promote student success by instructing in the pursuit and use of information in a productive and ethical manner.
The Local History/Archives area contains a special collection of books, periodicals, manuscripts, pamphlets and clippings that relate to Watertown, Jefferson County, the North Country, the Adirondacks, and Jefferson Community College.

The Ithaca College Archives and Special Collections are a part of the Ithaca College Library and hold unique collections relating to Ithaca College. Many additional images of Ithaca College are available at the repository and some will be added to the online collection in the future. The College Archives, located on the fifth floor of the Gannett Center, is the repository for official records of Ithaca College, the Ithaca Conservatory of Music (1892-1926) and the Ithaca Conservatory and Affiliated Schools (1926-1931).

Irvington Public library serves as both a library and a community resource for our area. We offer museum passes, ebooks, audiobooks, DVDs, music to borrow or keep, online learning and research, books, and archived articles from the Irvington Gazette. The library also offers a variety of free programs such as music, theater, informational workshops, children’s story times and programs, teen/tween events, and book clubs.

Irvington also provides librarian-assisted access to our local history collection, which is dedicated to preserving the history of Irvington, Westchester County, and its Hudson River environs. The Library houses materials reflecting this history, including published and unpublished records pertaining to: local architecture; businesses; housing and grand estates; individuals; the public library; recreation; religious organizations; social clubs, Village matters and services, and local events.