The following article appeared in The Garfield Gazette, the library's then newsletter, around 1996.
Garfield Library's History
by Liz Leith
The history of the Garfield Library of Brunswick begins with the Garfield School, one of several small rural country schools in the Brunswick area. This school was named for President James Garfield, who taught in Brunswick area schools in the 1850s while he was a student at Williams College. With consolidation of the rural schools in 1956, and the opening of the modern Tamarac School at Clums Corners in 1958, these small schools were closed. The Garfield School was used again in the 1960s when the new school became over crowded. Many folks in the community have fond memories of attending Garfield School. The school remained the property of the Brittonkill School District and was used for storage of paper and cleaning supplies until 1986. At that time it was acquired by the Town of Brunswick to be used jointly by the Brunswick Historical Society and the newly formed Library Group.
Mr. Burton Miller, a hard working and dedicated Town Councilman, took a keen interest in all aspects of this project. He was the driving force and inspiration for both groups in getting the building restored and made into the attractive place that it is today. He worked with members of the Historical Society to research the architectural features, as well as interior and exterior paint colors appropriate to the original building. Through these efforts the building qualified for placement on the National Historic Register.
The Garfield Library of Brunswick began at the same time in 1986. Burt Miller gathered a group of interested community members to discuss and research what this library would be. We visited area small town libraries and met with people from the Upper Hudson Library System and the Troy Public Library. It was decided to remain autonomous and be a Free Association Library. This meant the Town would provide the space and we would raise money through donations, book sales and library memberships. Use of the library would be free to all who wished to use it.
The lack of sufficient volumes in the collection and funds for a full time librarian made us ineligible to be a New York State Library. Therefore we became incorporated as the Garfield Reading Center. Our mission statement for that incorporation reads as follows: "To encourage the reading of books and periodicals among children and adults of this country; to foster an appreciation of good literature, both for pleasure and information, in children and adults thus broadening their mental and cultural horizons; to arrange literary programs, reading groups, lecture programs and other entertainment; to provide incentives and contests to arouse and maintain their interest in reading; to organize or sponsor groups of public-spirited men and women in local communities to carry out the above objectives; to enlist the support of other groups interested in advancing the above purposes."
Next we set out to furnish the newly refurbished space. Shelves were purchased and other furnishings were purchased from the Cohoes Library when they moved to new quarters. A librarian was hired in early January 1987. She was invaluable in setting up the operation. New materials had to be purchased, books catalogued and the many, many volumes that were donated by folks in the community had to be sorted. Our grand opening was celebrated in April 1987 with a gala party. We were now ready to issue library cards and the everyday work of the library began.
Since the beginning, volunteers have been an integral part of our library. Many, many people have given their time and talents to this venture. Our staff was part time because of limited funds and volunteers did a lot of the everyday work. From the very beginning children have been a focus of this library and children's programs began that first summer and have grown and flourished under inspiring leadership.
In March of 1993 the Board of Regents granted us a provisional charter as we were able to grow and comply with their requirements. Now we were officially the Garfield Library of Brunswick. We are now in the process of applying for a permanent charter. We have grown from a circulation of 3611 materials in 1987 to 19,093 in 1996. 2875 people currently hold a library card. The small beginning has grown beyond the wildest dreams of those who were the founders.
We are now expanding into electronic media as well as increasing programming for children and adults. The Library holds many programs and including:
- Young Author's Workshop
- Toddler Bedtime Story Hour
- Preschool Story Hour
- Garden Day
- Ongoing Used Book Sale
- Women's Book Discussion Group
- My Home Town Workshop and Concert
Our hope is that many more people will realize what an asset the Garfield Library is and that they will not only come to use our services but help us continue to provide these services above and beyond the mission that was set in 1987 by the founding board members.
