On September 3, the Roscoe Free Library is 100 years old! We celebrated with ‘Curbside Cake On A Plate' last Saturday by setting up a tent and serving cake to anyone who drove by or walked up. It was a beautiful day and Pecks in Livingston Manor baked us a fantastic cake. We weren't able to have a big celebration due to Covid but the library hopes to have a party soon.

The State of New York gave the library its charter on September 3rd, 1920. Over the years, the library has ‘lived' in a variety of homes, finally landing in the current lovely building on Highland Avenue.

In the past, there's been a devastating flood with destruction of all the library material, along with a huge tractor trailer crashing into the side of the building. And now we have an epidemic of horrifying proportions.

Through it all, the library has continued to serve the patrons in our area. Even with the library closed, we were still able to offer folks something to read or watch by placing items in a paper bag and putting them on the porch. We introduced a “Blind Date With A Book”! The staff would pick 5 different books and put them in a bag for the patron. The extra books and duplicates went out on the porch every day on a book truck and were free to take.

When I became Director 13 years ago it was not uncommon for fishermen in waders to stroll in and ask if we had any books on trout. Nothing was biting and they wondered if they could read while waiting for a fish to show up. (Trust me when I say that a town that's known as “Trout Town USA” has fishing books in the library!) But now there's a different landscape; we are open with limited hours and face coverings are the new ‘normal'.

The bottom line, however, is that we are still here, open, always moving forward and serving folks one hundred years later.

The Roscoe Free Library is open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 - 12 and 1 - 3. We allow four patrons in at a time and there is one public computer available for a half hour block. The staff will handle photocopying and faxes…there are no overdue fines.

Face coverings are mandatory; if you can't wear one, we will bring your material out to you. Curbside pickup is always available. In closing, stay safe everyone.