Commemorate your baby’s first Christmas...
Michielsen Robert Thomas ” “Robbie March 30, 2015
will appear in the December 20th edition. DeaDliNe: TUeSDaY, DeCeMBeR 15TH
November 29, 2015
Only
18.50
$
Jackson Robe rt Hulbe april 15, 2015 rt
Mail your picture and copy or deliver it to our office so that it reaches us by noon, Tuesday, Dec. 15th. Please be sure to include proper payment. You may email your photo and message with credit card information and daytime phone number to production@westsidenewsny.com
with a spot on the special holiday keepsake pages of Suburban News and Hamlin Clarkson Herald
Baby’s First Christmas
We’ll feature a photo of your baby plus a special message from you. It will make a marvelous memento to clip and include in your baby’s memory book. 1 col. x 2-7/8”
Sample Ad Shown
ristmas! at Reduced Merry First Ch love, Size andpa Gr Grandma & nt Joanne au & en els chi Mi
Westside News Inc.
Publishers of Suburban News and Hamlin-Clarkson Herald
1776 Hilton-Parma Corners Rd., Spencerport, NY 14559 • 352-3411
Issue No. 48
Merry First Ch ristmas! love, Grandma & Gr andpa Stultz
www.westsidenewsny.com
West Edition
Distributed to Bergen, Clarendon, Holley-Murray and Brockport-Sweden
Ogden Farmers’ Library - a history that speaks volumes by Maggie Fitzgibbon The year was 1815. A group of farmers cultivated a future as they formed the Ogden Farmers’ Library. This library became one of the founding organizations of the Ogden/Spencerport area. Only two community entities came before it, the first school in 1807 and the Congregational Church in 1811. This year notes the bicentennial of the library. At that time in 1815, the library collection contained 100 original books and was housed at the home of George W. Willey, the first settler in Ogden Center. Windsor Stone Trowbridge (a familiar name to the Ogden-Spencerport area) was one of the original stockholders. David Rice, Ephraim Colby and Ephraim Colby, Jr., along with Abraham, Isaac, Timothy, Eastman, Zaccheus and Merrill Colby are also listed as men who were thought to be some of the founders. There are no official documents from that time due to a fire in 1876 that destroyed most of the library materials and records from that time. A charter from 1910 notes that the library book numbered two contained the rules and regulations of the library. The document explains how the general return days were the first Tuesdays in February, May, August and November, much different than current day library return rules. The charter outlined the property of the Farmers’ Library Company with a share equally $2.00, the annual trustees election was held the first Tuesday in February. Well-known author John T. Trowbridge (son of Windsor Stone Trowbridge) wrote a letter in 1902 for the Ogden Centennial, which noted, ‘With special satisfaction and lifelong gratitude I remember the circulating library kept in a store at the Center, at a time when books began to be of inestimable value to me. It must have been a small library indeed, but for me it held infinite riches in a little room.’ Trowbridge’s letter brought about thoughts of reorganizing the library. The Village Building was being built and plans to include a library were considered. A letter from Asa Wynkoop, the Head of the New York Libraries Section, noted a date when he would be traveling to the area and a request to meet with the trustees. During the meeting, Wynkoop outlined the assistance the state would give and the process of complying with those conditions set by the state. Soon after the state granted the corporate name of Farmers’ Library Company and a free public library was established. Edwin Austin, Frank Webster, Horatio Burritt, Jabez Pierce, Foster Spencer were named as the first trustees of this corporation that was recorded in May 1908. In that same year, Harriet Moore was selected as librarian. Four years later, due
A large scale birthday card signed with greetings from library patrons congratulates Ogden Farmers’ LIbrary for its 200 years of library service to the community. to illness, Louise Wilcox and Grace Smith acted as temporary librarians who replaced Moore. Caroline Bush was chosen in 1913 as librarian. Mina Lapp followed Bush and Lapp served as librarian for 30 years. Expanding the library’s services and collections During this time of change for the library, the trustees were committed to growing the library’s collections. In June 1915 the library recorded over 2,500 books, and the total of volumes and magazines loaned was 13,839. It’s interesting to note, the 2012 Ogden Farmers’ Library Annual Report notes 148,980 items were borrowed. Over time, the library became integral to community life. In the early 1930s, over 16,000 books were checked out by patrons, which proved the library’s importance to the community. Programs and services were changed to meet the needs of the community. A statement in the 1929 annual report notes, ‘We were disappointed in our children’s book week and entertainment. We did have a “Christmas Story Hour” on December 23 that was well attended by small children. Each child was given a story booklet as a gift at close.’ This was the beginning of children’s programming at Ogden Farmers’ Library. December of 1948 brought disaster to the fire hall and village building. A fire ripped through these structures, which caused much damage to the library’s collections. Smoke and water created damage that was widespread throughout the library. The heat melted the bindings of much of the library’s collection. Due to this horrible loss, the library remained closed until October 1949.
Librarians in service As in any time period - either present day or long ago - a librarian plays a key role in the operation of a library. The list of those who served as librarians is long and reflects many years of dedicated service. Lovilla Dimock became the first unofficial librarian in 1909; Harriet Moore served for two years following Dimock. Louise Wilcox, Grace Smith and Eunice Gridley all served until Wilcox was officially appointed for a short time in 1913. Caroline Bush acted as librarian until 1916. Mina Lapp’s tenure as librarian spans 30 years, and during this time she witnessed many changes. World War I, a United States population of over 100 million people, the Stock Market Crash, World War II and attack on Pearl Harbor,
and all of these turbulent times impacted the Ogden Farmers’ Library. The 1920s saw dramatic swings in the number of books loaned, totals sometimes fluctuating dramatically - proof that this time in the country was filled with many changes. The annual report filed in 1946 noted $1,000 as Lapp’s salary. The Library Board of Trustees petitioned the Town of Ogden with a letter seeking to increase the salary to $1,200 to hire a replacement for Lapp. Marion Carpenter was subsequently hired as librarian and filled this roll until another fire in 1948 closed the library for almost one year. Adelaide Stewart came on board in 1949 and served until her untimely death in 1967. Louise Campbell, who served for one year, replaced Stewart. Margaret Stevenson followed Campbell and served as the main librarian for 26 years. It was during Stevenson’s leadership that the library underwent another dramatic change, a move to a new facility. A new space for a new era An article published in the Suburban News dated July 21, 1976, described the library’s dedication at its new location at 14 Amity Street. This two-story facility offered patrons more than 18,000 books and other materials for loan including records, sculptures, framed prints, periodicals, films and cassettes. The staff included Stevenson, Ann Curtis, Jeannette Elliott, Sherrie Burris and Carol Kinnaman. At this time, a community group called the Friends of the Library was formed to support the library and assist with library activities. The Friends of the Ogden Farmers’ Library still exists but with a broader scope of support including fundraising.
continued on page 4
The move to the present Ogden Farmers’ Library located in the Ogden Community Center on Ogden Center Road permitted the creation of a spacious reading and learning area for youngsters.