Saratoga Springs Public Library (SSPL), established in 1950, is a
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
located in
Saratoga Springs in the
Capital District area of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. SSPL serves the
Saratoga Springs City School District
The Saratoga Springs City School District is the public school district of Saratoga Springs, New York. The district is an independent public entity. It is governed by the Saratoga Springs City School District Board of Education, whose members ...
.
Services and facilities
The three-story building on Henry Street that now houses the library was opened in 1995. SSPL offers a wide variety of services in the building and via the web site. The library offers a collection of current, high demand print and non-print items, including
books on tape or
compact discs,
DVDs, as well as access to online electronic information resources, downloadable audio books, ebooks and videos, and much more. The library provides public computer access and is Wi-Fi accessible. The Library offers free programs and activities for all ages.
Librarians are available to respond to the information needs of customers who walk-in or phone-in with questions. SSPL also provides Ask-A-Librarian (https://www.sspl.org/contact/librarian/), an email reference service.
The library offers
wireless capability, a coffee shop, and ''The Friends Book Shop'' bookstore selling used paperback and hardbound books.
The Saratoga Room is a collection of local history resources containing books, pamphlets, audio-visual materials on the Saratoga Springs area. Examples are a history of the effort to preserve the springs, ''The Politics of Hydrotherapy and the Development of a New York State Policy'' written by local resident and former Saratoga Spa State Park employee
Ed Murphy, and the "Frank Sullivan Collection" of books written by humorist
Frank Sullivan or inscribed to him by his famous friends. This room is open for limited hours.
The library is part of the
Southern Adirondack Library System
The Southern Adirondack System (SALS) is a consortium of thirty-four libraries in Saratoga, Warren, Washington, and Hamilton counties in New York.
SALS is one of 23 public state-supported library systems in New York. It was chartered in 1959 b ...
, providing an integrated online catalog and
interlibrary loan among thirty-six libraries in Saratoga,
Warren,
Washington, and
Hamilton counties.
History
The first library in Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga Athenaeum, was a private
subscription library
A subscription library (also membership library or independent library) is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a public library, access is often restricted to members, but access rights c ...
founded in 1885 by a group that included
Spencer Trask and
Joseph Drexel among others. This library was first located on the corner of Broadway and Caroline Street, and moved to 344 Broadway in 1906.
In 1945 voters approved a proposal to construct a public library, which opened at 320 Broadway at the intersection of, Spring Street in a corner of
Congress Park, in 1950. When this library opened students from the Saratoga Springs school district carried the books down Broadway to their new home.
The library's current building at 49 Henry Street broke ground in 1993 and opened in 1995. It was designed by Architecture Plus of
Troy, New York and The LA Group and Phillips Associates of Saratoga Springs.
"About"
Saratoga Springs Public Library website
References
External links
*
Saratoga Springs Public Library website
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Public libraries in New York (state)
Buildings and structures in Saratoga Springs, New York
Education in Saratoga County, New York
Library buildings completed in 1995