Sometime in the mid 1800’s, a corner of a general store located in our historic building was set aside as a library. From that humble beginning we grew to occupy the first floor of the entire building: a children’s area filled the back end, a “regular” library the front.

About ten years ago, with the help of a New York State construction grant and generous donations from the community, we finally expanded the library to include the entire second floor. The Steven Kellogg Children’s Room and a reading room came into being. We added computers and WiFi, increased our participation in the Clinton Essex Franklin Library System, offered expanded programs for both children and adults, and became more of a full-service library.

We had worked hard and were very happy with what we had accomplished. And then, on September 8, 2023, a large tree fell on our building. This has caused a major disruption in our services and our return to anything approaching normal is nowhere in sight. The Essex Community Church generously offered us temporary accommodations and we stayed there several months.

Now we have returned home, once again only occupying the first floor. Construction has yet to begin on the gaping hole in our roof but we have been assured we won’t have to move again. We are faced with trying to rebuild, facing conditions much like we faced before we expanded upstairs.

We need your help. We need our patrons, adults and children alike, to return to the library. We want to hear what services and programs are most desired and appreciated. We need donations to bridge the gap between the support we get from the Town and our actual expenses, and to help with as yet unforeseen expenses associated with The Tree.

The members of our Board, volunteers, and Julie Wever, our librarian, would love to seenyou. We would like to thank you all for the support you have given us over the years.

Colleen Van Hoven, Board President (once again