LIBRARY HISTORY
1911 The Marlborough Free Library was granted a provisional charter by the Board of Regents of the State of New York on December 9th.
1912 Library begins service in a school located at the corner of Grand and Church Streets.
1913 Certificate of Registration issued by the State of New York on February 20th showed that the Library had met certain standards and was eligible to receive tax moneys.
1914 Library moved to Methodist Church.
1915 Fire completely destroyed the Methodist Church forcing the Library to return to the school on the corner of Grand and Church Streets.
Library received its absolute charter on December 2nd.
1916 The Library moved to a store location in the Village.
1921 Money raised through the efforts of the Association purchased a site on the point of land where King Street and Route 9W meet and the doors of the new Library opened on November 19th.
1937 Town awarded the Library its first monetary tax support in the amount of a $500.00 grant.
1959 Marlborough Free Library joined the newly formed Mid-Hudson Library System, a cooperative library system developed to assist local libraries in upgrading service.
1965 The constitution and by-laws were amended in April to include the entire town of Marlborough, and the areas of Plattekill and the Town of Newburgh which lie within the local school district.
1970 Flossie Linsig retires as Librarian of the Marlborough Free Library after 20 years of service to the community.
Citizens committee is formed by the Board of Trustees to promote and plan for a new larger Library facility.
1971 Fund Drive Committee Chair Michael J. Canosa launches money raising campaign.
1972 Library changed its status from an association to a school district public library by a vote of the taxpayers of the Marlboro Central School District on June 27th.
And approved a budget in the amount of $21,058.21.
An organizational meeting of the newly created school district library (hereinafter to be called the Marlboro Free Library) was held on July 13.
A Provisional Charter was issued to the Marlboro Free Library by the Board of Regents of the State of New York on September 28.
1977 Board of Trustees contracts with Milton Chazen Associates to design a new library of 3600 square feet to be built on the property on the corner of Route 9W & Bloom Street, which was donated to the Marlboro Free Library specifically for construction of a new library.
Bids for construction of a new library and sale of the King Street building were published in the SOUTHERN ULSTER PIONEER and THE EVENING NEWS on May 11th.
Bids were opened on May 27th and contracts awarded on July 11, 1977. Mr. John Alessi was the successful bidder for the King Street library.
1978 May 21st marked the dedication of the library building on the corner of Route 9W & Bloom Street.
1986 Peter R. Hoffmann of Hudson Bluff Drive, Marlboro, New York was hired as architect of record to develop plans for an expansion of the library building on Route 9W & Bloom Street.
Moneys to construct the new addition were received from:
Federal LSCA Title II Funds - $89,753.00
N. Y. S. Public Library Construction Funds - $29,750.00
Marlboro Free Library Building Fund - $158,615.25
The positive vote of school district taxpayers on December 18th assured
funds in the amount of $249,000.00 for the library building expansion
completion.
1987 Formal construction bids for the Library expansion were opened on February 6th and awarded on March 23rd.
Groundbreaking ceremonies took place on March 25th.
1988 Dedication ceremonies for the Marlboro Free Library addition take place exactly 10 years to the day from the original dedication on the site, May 21st.
1991 Plastic bar-coded FASTCARDS were issued to all Marlboro Free Library patrons beginning March 1 of this year. This card replaces all cards including Universal Borrower Cards and will be used at any library in the Mid-Hudson Library System.
Automated circulation began at the Marlboro Free Library on Wednesday, June 12.
The Marlboro Free Library was the recipient of a bequest from the estate of ALICE PIERCE MILLS of Amherst, Erie County, New York to be used for the benefit of the Library.
1993 The Library purchased adjacent property with the proceeds of the MILLS ESTATE and a $50,000.00 LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) Title II Grant from the State of New York. Formal bids for the construction of additional parking space, the conversion of dwellings existing on the property to storage purposes, and the installation of expanded and redesigned handicapped accessible entrances to the Library were opened on May 27, 11993, and awarded on June 7, 1993.
The Public Access Catalog (PAC) component of our automated Circulation System became functional.
1994 Access to technology for patrons was enhanced by the creation of a local area network (LAN) providing multiple user access to software selections.
Three on-line databases were made available to patrons completing Marlboro Library's entry through the "Electronic Doorway."
To ` stewardship over the Library's multifaceted collection a CHECKPOINT security system was installed in the summer of 1994. The detection system serves as an effective deterrent against unauthorized removal of library materials.
Dedication of the West Street Parking Lot and adjacent property took place at special ceremonies held on Sunday, November 13, 1994, the week after the Library's 83rd birthday.
The Town of Marlborough, Library History
created by
MaryLou Mahan,
Town of Marborough Historian,
Send me a note mlmahan2@pipeline.com
URL:http://www.rootsweb.com/~nycmarlb/