In 1915, there were two attempts to form a library. Both failed. In 1921, the Farmingdale Post took a strong position in favor of establishing a library. On April 9, 1923, the Women’s Club of Farmingdale, led by Abigail Leonard, met at the home of Jesse Merritt for the purpose of creating a library. The first business of the meeting was to give the library a name and elect a Board of Trustees. They voted to name it the Farmingdale Library Association. The Board consisted of three elected officers and six members at large. They also voted that the by-laws created by the State be accepted.
After that first meeting, the Board of Trustees met eight times over the next ten months.
The first meeting was April 16, 1923. Jesse Merritt was told to write to Albany to acquire a state charter for the new library. At the second meeting on May 1, 1923, they learned that Albany had received their request for a charter and suggested to name it the Farmingdale Free Library. They also voted on the length of the terms for the Board of Trustees and membership by-laws were also created at that meeting which included the age of membership & fee (16 and $1.00), officers of the Board, when meetings would be held (the first Monday of every third month), and the duties of the librarian. These by-laws also included rules that dealt with the days and hours the library would be open, number of books that may be borrowed, qualifications of borrowers, renewals, reserves, and fines.
On May 9, 1923, the Board thanked the Board of Education for designating a room in the Kolkebeck House for the library. At their October 16, 1923 meeting, the Board was informed that Albany had granted the library a provisional charter. At the December 12, 1923 meeting, Miss Marion Jordan was announced as the first librarian. The Board met for the final time on January 9, 1924 before opening the library to the public. The grand opening for the library was January 19, 1924. Fifty books circulated on that first day. At the annual meeting on July 22, 2, 376 items were circulated
On February 18, 1929, the Board met to agree upon merging the public library and school library. In 1931, the Farmingdale Post began a column titled “The Library Corner,” where it would list reviews of books, lists of magazines carried, and other library news. In 1946, the librarian from Albany recommended a branch be formed. A year was spent looking for a suitable location before the Board recommended to put the plan off.
The Friends of the Library was established in 1951 with Luita Jones as the chair. In 1952, the residents voted to make the library a school district library and approved an $8,000 budget for a new building for the library. The library found a spot at 195 Main Street and opened on February 9, 1953. In 1957, the library purchased a bookmobile and the library’s name was changed to Farmingdale Public Library. In November, 1958, the library moved to a new home at the corner of Main and Conklin Streets. Dedication day was set for March 1, 1959. That same year, Director Orrin Dow began talks with the owner of the South Farmingdale Shopping Center on Merritts Road. In November of 1960, the Board met to sign a lease for that spot. They broke ground that same month. The South Branch of the library opened its doors to the public in November of 1961 and was dedicated in April 8, 1962.
Though there were talks of adding to the Main Street library in 1968 and creating another branch in Massapequa Park, but nothing came of either. At this point, both locations were open to meet the demands of the growing community. In 1974, the public voted no on a proposition to sell bonds to build a new library. The proposition was defeated 117 to 429. The proposal was to level Main Street school and construct a new building on the site. The Main Street branch building would have been sold and the lease for the South Branch would not have been renewed, When the library proposed the same deal in 1976, the school Board denied the request. That same year, residents voted yes to a bond issue to purchase the South branch building. The building was leased at the time and was due to expire that October.
In February of 1991, the Farmingdale Board of Education approved a resolution regarding the purchase of a site for a new building and the issuance of bonds for the project. The board proposed to purchase 4.1 acres of the property owned by Manker’s Florist. The new building would have a larger square footage than the two existing branches. The total cost for the entire project was a $8.8 million. On March 25, 56% of the residents voted in favor of this proposition. In 1992, the Board of Trustees broke ground for the library’s new building. The library was designed by the architecture firm of Beatty, Harvey and Associates. The current Farmingdale Public Library at 116 Merritts Road celebrated its grand opening on November 6, 1994.
In 2002, the Farmingdale Community Council unveiled a September 11 memorial monument on the library’s front lawn. Educator Jim Neuberger designed the memorial. The memorial lists the names of Farmingdale residents lost on September 11, 2001. In 2010, the library underwent an eight-month renovation to the building. A side entrance was created, a new children’s department was built, a teen room was created, sections were moved, and more computers were added. The newly renovated library opened in January 2002.
Sources:
Halpin, James R. A History of the Farmingdale Public Library including Background on the Town of Farmingdale. Thesis submitted 1965
Junior Historical Society of Farmingdale. Farmingdale’s Story: Farms to Flight. Weldon E. Howitt High School, 1956
Kane, Marta E. “Farmingdale Community Summit Council Dedicates September 11 Monument Site.” Farmingdale Observer. September 20, 2002
“Library Question: To Buy or Not to Buy.” Farmingdale Observer. March 18, 1976
Maloney, Michael J. “Library Proposal Enters Final Stage.” Farmingdale Observer. February 1, 1991
Maloney, Michael J. “New Library Wins Farmingdale’s Support.” Farmingdale Observer. March 29, 1991
“Public Library Now Ready for Temporary Use.” Farmingdale Post. February 5, 1953
“Public Says “No” to Library.” Farmingdale Observer. December 12, 1974
“Residents Vote O.K. on Largest School Budget Ever Presented.” Farmingdale Post. May 15, 1952
“School, Library Board Disagree on Library Plan.” Farmingdale Observer. October 21, 1976
“South Farmingdale Branch Now Open to the Public.” Farmingdale Post. November 23, 1961
Stewart, Josh. “Farmingdale Library Reopens Main Floor.” Newsday, Newsday, 18 Jan. 2011, https://www.newsday.com/news/farmingdale-library-reopens-main-floor-y22119
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The First Trustees of the Farmingdale Free Library were:
President: Jesse Merritt
Vice-President: Theresa A. Mintram
Secretary/Treasurer: Emma J. Dodge
Trustees:
Florence E. Kingston
Theresa Kieselman
Abigail Leonard
Rudolph H. Weber
William Wesche
C. Shannon Wright