October 30, 1901 Mrs. Carrie Stillman and nine other women met at the Stillman home intent on organizing a literary and social club. The following week, the “Ladies Reading Circle” officially launched with twenty charter members. Studying Shakespeare and Roman history, singing hymns and reading scripture, they met each Wednesday at the homes of the group members. At the beginning of 1902, with only $3.00 to spend, the Club began purchasing books. With donations from members and contributions from sister clubs in the county, the idea of a library grew.
The next few years were important for the history of the Almond Library. Membership increased and with it so many books that it became evident that they must have a home. On January 14, 1904, the Club rented the two front rooms over Taylor’s store (located in the former Coslo’s building) for $3 per month. Furniture, rugs, bookshelves, and furnishings were purchased or made by the members and the rooms began to look like a library. On January 21, 1904 a resolution was passed that the Club henceforth be known as the Twentieth Century Club of Almond, New York. On April 26, 1904, the library received a provisional charter and opened to the public. In January 1906, a new library was proposed, and work began to raise the funds required of such a monumental task.
Donations great and small were given by the community and in October 1911, the site for the new library was chosen. Having raised all but $1,000 on their own, the Club moved forward with plans of completing their library by the end of 1912. Year after year, the Club maintained the building, grounds and collection through service, dues, and donations from the community.
In 1967 the library became affiliated with the Southern Tier Library System which provided benefits that our community members all enjoy today, such as an integrated book processing system, consultation services, rotating book collections, interlibrary loans, grant application assistance, and electronic information systems.
Today Almond Library is supported by Alfred-Almond School District tax referendum, grants, donations, and the fundraising efforts of the Friends of the Library.
