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The
Cornwall Library Association was organized in the study of the
Rev. E.C. Sanford, October 2, 1869. Minutes of that
meeting record the adoption of a constitution and twenty-two
articles, establishing both the purpose for the library and the
rules by which it would operate.
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“The
Subscribers, believing that a well selected Library in this Town,
would promote a desire for useful Knowledge and Mental and Moral
Cultivation, tend to form right tastes and habits in the young, and
secure substantial improvement to all who properly avail themselves
of its privileges, do unite in an association to be called the
Cornwall Library Association, and do agree to pay the sums set
opposite their names, for the purpose of obtaining such a Library,
and permanently securing its advantages.” |
An
Executive Committee and the Librarian were
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“to select
and purchase all Books for the Library. . . . No book shall be
admitted into the Library, of an immoral tendency, or teaching any
religious doctrine contrary to Christian principles. And any
book purchased which shall be found of a character inconsistent with
this article, shall at once be taken from the Library and destroyed;
and no book shall be purchased which shall not receive the approval
of a majority of the Executive Committee.” |
The Library was to be open the first and third Saturday
afternoons of each month. Memberships cost $3.00; annual dues, $1.00. The
Librarian’s salary from 1875 to 1909 had been $25.00; then it increased to $75,
and later $100.
At first
the library was in a private house. Then in 1874 it moved to the office of
Frederick Kellogg, Esq., which was enlarged for the purpose and stood on the
south side of the Town Green. The statistics recorded in the annual
meetings report a steady growth in numbers of books acquired and borrowed. Then,
without previous mention of the plans or construction, on October 6, 1908,
members voted to approve a resolution:
“The Cornwall Library
Association herewith records its grateful appreciation of the provision made by
Mr. John E. Calhoun for its housing in the Cornwall Library and directs the
President of the Association to convey to him our thanks for his interest in its
welfare.”
This modest statement thanked Mr.
Calhoun for the elegant stone building (built for $25,000), which served as the
Library’s home until 2002. The minutes stated that the
“Books [now numbering 3626] moved into new library building
beginning Tuesday, December 15, 1908. Were placed and given out as usual
the Saturday following. . . . There was a reception to which nearly the
whole town were invited on Friday evening January 29 from 7 – 11 o’clock.”
The Library
collection grew by about 100 volumes a year during the first half of the 20th
century. From 7 – 9 on Saturdays members in good standing ($1 dues paid)
could borrow
“one book of fiction and one of
any other class for five cents per week.”
In later years the open hours increased and many more books were acquired.
As the
collection grew, the publication of
a list of the books was not practical and a catalog was established with cards
for each book. Books were loaned to the school, and collections of books
were sent to the soldiers during World War II. While members continued to
pay dues to the Association until 1954, the rules for borrowing were changed in
1945:
“Books may be drawn free from this library by all residents of the Town of
Cornwall, and by all members of this association.” The
Association Secretary was directed to post notices that
“the Library is now a free library" in the three post offices
and in the newspaper. A sign,
“Cornwall Free Library,”
was to be placed at
the front of the building. During this time Miss Emily Marsh was the
librarian; she directed much of the growth of the collection, overseeing
everything from the addition of new shelving, lighting and furnace, to the
establishment of a children’s room, eventually retiring in 1962 after forty-two
years of service.
The rate of growth, which had been steady
for decades, increased. Additional materials were added: records,
puzzles, then books on tape, and video recordings. Bookshelves spread into
the town hall meeting room and lined those walls. The need for more space
for both town and library use became obvious, and many suggestions for expansion
were examined. Finally, in 1998, the Library Trustees voted to construct a
new building. Land next door was purchased, a state grant was received,
and many generous donors contributed to the project. The new Library
opened on May 22, 2002. The collection, now numbering 18,400, is listed by
computer. People can search the Cornwall catalog, and that of most other
libraries, on the Internet, and anyone with a bar-coded card can borrow from any
library in the state.
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