The mission of the Goshen Public Library and Historical Society is to provide and promote open and equal access to ideas and to the resources and services of the Library in order to meet the informational, educational, and cultural needs of the community. The Library strives to enrich reading and the use of technology for lifelong learning and the enhancement of the individual’s quality of life.

The Local History Room contains information on the history of the Town and Village of Goshen as well as nearby areas of Orange County.

In 1997, as Girl Scout Troop #61 was working on the “My Community” badge, one of the scouts, asked her mother, “Why doesn’t our community have a library?” That was the start of what was to become the Gold Coast Public Library District.

The scouts were joined by many of their classmates at Glen Head School, and together they formed the GALS (Get A Library Soon) committee. The youngsters wanted to know how the community felt about establishing a library. They distributed flyers and set out petitions in local stores. They compiled a listing of interested residents. The youngsters met with local officials to learn how a community went about establishing a library. The movement grew with support from students and parents at other North Shore schools.

Fredda Klopfer, then principal of Glen Head School, organized an adult committee composed of the Girl Scout leaders involved in the project, Amy Kempton and Rosemarie Ryba, and two parents who supported the project, Marilyn Genoa and Fran Sciarrino. This committee, later joined by Miles Sibell and Rhonda Veros, became the North Shore Citizens Committee for Library Service, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization.

The Committee focused on the legal and procedural aspects of establishing a library district. The organization worked diligently for over four years with neighboring libraries, the Nassau Library System and the New York State Department of Library Development.

Further impetus to their work was provided by a change in New York State law when the Board of Regents passed “Regulation 90.3” that prohibited public libraries from selling library cards as of January 1, 2000. Residents could no longer purchase library cards from neighboring libraries. Library services for the community could only be obtained through public funding.

In 2000, State Senator Carl Marcellino and Assemblyman David Sidikman introduced legislation that allowed a referendum in which residents would decide the issue of a tax supported library district. In August 2000, Governor George Pataki signed Bill #S6929A into law, authorizing the referendum. On December 4, 2001, residents overwhelmingly voted to establish the library district, with an $800,000 budget. The Library opened for business on August 1, 2005 at 50 Railroad Avenue in Glen Head, in the remodeled building formerly known as 'Norway Hall.' Genellen McGrath was appointed as the first Library Director on April 5, 2006.

EARLY LIBRARIES

The first library was organized in Gloversville in 1803 and called the Farmer's Library. In 1853, the Young Ladies Library Association was established and the first books purchased in 1855. Gentlemen were allowed to become honorary members by paying 25 cents a year. This enabled them to attend the monthly socials and escort the young ladies home. In 1873, a new organization called the Young People's Library absorbed the older group. This organization exerted a great deal of influence in the community, but because no trained librarian was on hand, old books wore out or disappeared and few new ones were purchased.

The Levi Parsons Library, forerunner to the Gloversville Free Library, was founded in 1880 as a subscription through Judge Parsons' donation matched by local pledges. This library was incorporated under the laws of New York State on June 15, 1880, and a year's membership could be secured for $2. The original quarters, in the Wood Block on South Main Street were inadequate for library use and Lucius N. Littauer offered rooms in his block on South Main Street, rent free for one year. The Library moved to the block, and remained there until 1905. The board adopted a constitution and by-laws, and hired professional librarian, Adolph Peck. A printed catalog of books was issued, and the library was opened to the public during the afternoons and evenings.

FREE LIBRARY AND CARNEGIE SUPPORT

Because library membership was not free, most working class people couldn't afford it and membership began to decline. Finally, the threat of bankruptcy necessitated an appeal to the public, which was most successful. The Gloversville Free Library, still under the association structure, was established in 1888.

In 1902, Andrew Carnegie gave the library $50,000 for the construction of a building with the provision that the City of Gloversville should contribute annually to its support. The building, designed in the Beaux Arts style by architect Albert Randolph Ross, was opened in December of 1905.
The building has four levels and consists of a central body with two large wings. For nearly 100 years the City of Gloversville funded more than half of the Gloversville Free Library’s annual budget. But in 2002 the City began a drastic reduction of its annual support, and in 2004 appropriated just $5,000. The Board of Trustees was faced with the challenge of finding a reliable source of operating income in order to preserve public library services for the community.

TRANSITION TO A PUBLIC LIBRARY
The community passed a proposition to establish the Gloversville Public Library as a School District Public Library, to publicly elect Trustees, and to raise funds through an annual tax that would be paid by the property owners within the Gloversville Enlarged School District. Thus began a new phase in the history of Gloversville’s library.
After securing funds for the operating budget, the Library began a long journey to renovate the unique Carnegie building. The Library hired the firm of Butler Rowland Mays Architects in 2008 to design the renovation. Fundraising by the Friends of the Library began in 2007 and an official capital campaign was launched in 2013. While breakout projects were completed from 2009-2016 while the library still occupied the building, the comprehensive renovation required library services to be moved to a temporary location. Construction began in May 2017 and is expected to complete in early fall 2018.

Gloversville Public Library is a member of the New York Library Association, the Mohawk Valley Library System and the Capital District Library Council.

On August 7, 1894, the foundation of our present library was laid when 175 legal voters from School District No. 5 in the Town of Oyster Bay approved a resolution establishing the Glen Cove Public Library. According to its first annual report, published in 1896, the library was open three hours a week for the sole purpose of lending books from its collection of 1,572 volumes. At that time, the library contained no reading room. According to the terms of the original resolution, the library was housed in a wing of the Glen Cove High School building which had been built at the corner of Dosoris Lane and Forest Avenue in 1893. The library’s location changed several times over the years, and in 1959, it eventually found its current home on Glen Cove Avenue. An expansion and renovation, designed by architect Herbert Beckhard, was completed in 2002.
In addition to the Coles family playing a major role in the library’s founding, they were instrumental in the establishment of its renowned history collection, which is housed in the Robert R. Coles Long Island History Room. Robert R. Coles, the son of Carolyn and Franklin Coles, was one of the guiding lights of the History Room’s founding, along with Alexander S. Van Santvoord and Peter L. Van Santvoord. Most of the items in the collection are directly related to Glen Cove and Long Island, with manuscripts, documents and maps dating back to Glen Cove’s founding in 1668. The collection also includes treasured artifacts, documents and photos from Glen Cove’s Gold Coast era when wealthy industrialists, such as Charles Pratt, J.P. Morgan, F.W. Woolworth and others resided in Glen Cove.

George F. Johnson Memorial Library is located in Endicott, a few miles west of Binghamton in New York's Southern Tier. Open since 1915, "GFJ" has previously operated under the names "Endicott Free Library" and "Ideal Home Library." It is noted for pioneering mobile service with one of the first bookmobiles (horse-drawn) in the northeast U.S. in 1916. The library is named after the local industrialist, philanthropist, and shoe magnate known for his benevolence and many contributions to the community; and sits on the site of his former home. Library collections of note include newspapers dating to 1856, photographs, George F. Johnson memorabilia, and Union-Endicott High School yearbooks.

Through the efforts of the Daughters of the American Revolution Seneca Chapter and Charles N. Hemiup, the Library began in June 1905 as a free association library named the "Geneva Free Library". Now more than a hundred years later, the renamed Geneva Public Library still pursues its mission to inspire and support a lifetime of learning and creativity for the Geneva community.

The Library houses a physical collection of local history volumes, microfilmed records of the local newspaper, particularly the Finger Lakes Times, and provides access to several genealogical databases. The library also offers free research assistance, simply visit the Library's website for more information on how to make a request.

Historic Geneva is a non-profit educational corporation dedicated to engaging diverse audiences in an on-going dialogue about the shared heritage of Geneva, New York and its environs. Through its collections, educational programs, collaborations with other organizations, and historic properties, Historic Geneva preserves Geneva's past and cultivates an appreciation for Geneva history.

Founded in 1966 as part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Genesee Community College now has seven campus locations in four counties and serves more than 5,800 students in a diverse, student-centered learning environment that embraces technology and innovation. The Alfred C. O'Connell Library is located on the Batavia campus and is home to the college archives.

The Garden City Public Library is the nominal caretaker for the Archives of the Village of Garden City. These items are located on Village-owned premises in another location.  Included are historical photographs related to the Village, most of which have been digitized for our online collection and are available on this website. Included in the Archives are articles, maps, manuscripts, and scrapbooks that complement the photographs. The collection also contains books related to Garden City and Long Island in general.

The Galway Public Library, established in 1997, is located in Galway, NY 15 minutes west of Saratoga Springs. We are a thriving rural library serving the Galway Central School District (pop.6,700) which includes Towns of Galway, Providence, parts of Charlton, Ballston Spa, Broadalbin, and Amsterdam. Our 1800 sq. ft. library houses over 25,000 items,and offers 6 public pcs and wireless internet. We sponsor over 250 programs annually for people of all ages, and our library draws 17,500 visits each year from our community. Our material includes items from our library, the Galway Preservation Society and local private collections.