Ossining Public Library

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Ossining Public Library
Ossining Public Library 02.jpg
Main, southeast facade
TypeSchool District Public Library [1]
Location Ossining, New York
Coordinates 41°9′51.152″N73°51′37.019″W / 41.16420889°N 73.86028306°W / 41.16420889; -73.86028306 Coordinates: 41°9′51.152″N73°51′37.019″W / 41.16420889°N 73.86028306°W / 41.16420889; -73.86028306
Collection
Size117,987 [2]
Access and use
Circulation308,279 [2]
Population served34,230 [2]
Other information
DirectorKaren LaRocca-Fels [3]
Staff33 [3]
Website Official website
Map
Ossining Public Library

The Ossining Public Library (OPL) is a public library in serving the village of Ossining, New York. The library serves Ossining's school district, including the town of Ossining and neighboring areas.

Contents

The library was created in the 1880s at the village's Park School. It was first chartered as the Sing Sing Public Library in 1893. Its first permanent location was a Carnegie library on Croton Avenue, replaced by a modern building in 1968, and again replaced with the current facility in 2007.

History

Northeast facade Ossining Public Library 01.jpg
Northeast facade

The library began as a collection of 700 books in the superintendent's office at Park School in the 1880s. It was first chartered in 1893 as the Sing Sing Public Library. It was renamed the Ossining Public Library in 1901. In 1903, the library moved to the Twiggar Building on Main Street, and a few years later to the YWCA. The library was looking to expand, and so a letter was written to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, noted for his funding of public library buildings. Carnegie funded the new library, a Carnegie library, on Croton Avenue. The building was of brick, with arched windows and large heavy wooden doors at the entrance. Desiring further expansion, the Carnegie building was torn down in 1967, and its replacement opened in September 1968. This library was too small by 2003, when Ossining residents voted to build another building. [4] [5]

A new library was approved in 2003, with a public vote of 1,640 to 633. [6] It was built from 2005 to 2007, at a cost of $15.8 million. The project involved purchasing the adjacent lot and building the new library there; demolishing the old structure once the new building was complete. The new library opened on March 25, 2007 and added many new or enhanced services, including over 50 public internet terminals, the 205-seat Camille Budarz Theater, an art gallery, and Westchester County's first radio frequency (RFID) circulation system. 1,000 visitors attended on the opening day, which include guided tours and a piano performance by Ossining resident Camille Antoinette Budarz. The theater's Steinway piano was once hers. [5]

In 2018, for the library's 125th anniversary, a time capsule was created and buried on the library grounds, to be opened on the 150th anniversary in 2043. Other celebratory events, including a film series, library history lecture, ice cream social, and genealogy program, were scheduled as part of the celebration. As well, the library was gifted a desk that was the circulation desk of the Carnegie building, now serving as the library's information desk. [4]

Location and architecture

The 2007 building has four floors and 48,000 square feet (4,500 m2). It was designed by Beatty, Harvey and Associates, and is modern, made of glass, metal, and brick, made larger and more open than the prior building. It is on a steep hill, directly adjacent to a parking lot, where the 1968 library stood. The new library has features that allude to historic Ossining architecture, and uses natural stone and brick, materials of the Hudson Valley. The curving entrance has wide concrete steps, modeled after the steps at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The library uses geothermal energy for heating and cooling. [6] [5] [7]

The lower level has a cafe, art gallery, and theater; the first floor has the circulation desk, media section, multicultural collection, and children's room. The second floor has the reference and nonfiction collections and the teen room; the mezzanine level at the top has the fiction collection. [5] The main reading room of Ossining's library was named in honor of longtime Ossining resident and author John Cheever. The room was designed resembling a living room, including a stone-clad gas fireplace; the room also features artifacts of Cheever's. [8] [6] The lower level art gallery includes two sections: the Main Gallery and the Hallway Gallery. The gallery has monthly art exhibits, and sometimes has two to three shows per month. [5]

The former library, completed in August 1968, was modern, square, and flat-roofed. [4] It had 17,390 square feet (1,616 m2). [6] It was designed by Malsin & Reiman and cost $574,000. [9]

Operations

The collections of the library include 117,987 items. [2] As a member of the 38-member Westchester Library System, the Ossining Public Library can also offer its patrons access to the holdings of the other county libraries.

The library is chartered as a School District Public Library, serving residents of the Ossining Union Free School District. [1] It serves areas of the town of Ossining, Chappaqua, Yorktown, and Briarcliff Manor, with overlapping service in parts of the town of Yorktown (also served by the John C. Hart Memorial Library) and village of Briarcliff Manor (also served by the Briarcliff Manor Public Library). [10]

Given Ossining's large Hispanic population, the library has services including a weekly English Conversation Group, English as a Second Language classes twice weekly, a Spanish film series, a multicultural collection, and performances and celebrations during National Hispanic Heritage Month. [5]

The library's collections include several non-traditional circulating items: nature observation kits, cake pans, fishing poles, and Wii games. [11] The library also offers free admission to local and regional museums and nature centers. [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westchester County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population of 1,004,456, an increase of 55,344 (5.8%) from the 949,113 counted in 2010. Situated in the Hudson Valley, Westchester covers an area of 450 square miles (1,200 km2), consisting of six cities, 19 towns, and 23 villages. Established in 1683, Westchester was named after the city of Chester, England. The county seat is the city of White Plains, while the most populous municipality in the county is the city of Yonkers, with 211,569 residents per the 2020 U.S. Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarcliff Manor, New York</span> Village in New York, United States of America

Briarcliff Manor is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, 30 miles (50 km) north of New York City. It is on 5.9 square miles (15 km2) of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor includes the communities of Scarborough and Chilmark, and is served by the Scarborough station of the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson Line. A section of the village, including buildings and homes covering 376 acres (152 ha), is part of the Scarborough Historic District and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The village motto is "A village between two rivers", reflecting Briarcliff Manor's location between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers. Although the Pocantico is the primary boundary between Mount Pleasant and Ossining, since its incorporation the village has spread into Mount Pleasant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorktown, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Yorktown is a town on the northern border of Westchester County, New York, United States. A suburb of the New York City metropolitan area, it is approximately 38 miles (61 km) north of midtown Manhattan. The population was 36,569 at the 2020 U.S. Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossining (village), New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Ossining is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 25,060 at the 2010 census. As a village, it is located in the town of Ossining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossining (town), New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Ossining is a town located along the Hudson River in Westchester County, New York. The population was 40,061 at the time of the 2020 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant. Ossining is the location of Sing Sing maximum-security prison.

Northern Westchester refers to the upper portion of Westchester County, New York, a suburban area north of New York City. Lying north of Interstate 287/Cross Westchester Expressway, these communities are distinguished by distance from New York City and their more rural character from those of Southern Westchester. The area is notable for its general affluence and high degree of watershed for New York City, being home to two major collection reservoirs supplying drinking water to it, the New Croton Reservoir and the Kensico Reservoir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Croton Aqueduct</span> Pipeline that carried water to New York City from its reservoirs in 19th century

The Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842. The great aqueducts, which were among the first in the United States, carried water by gravity 41 miles (66 km) from the Croton River in Westchester County to reservoirs in Manhattan. It was built because local water resources had become polluted and inadequate for the growing population of the city. Although the aqueduct was largely superseded by the New Croton Aqueduct, which was built in 1890, the Old Croton Aqueduct remained in service until 1955.

Westchester County, New York, in the United States, contains 40 public school districts, 118 private schools and 14 colleges/universities. According to the 2018 rankings provided by the education website Niche, taking into account public comments, 28 of the top 100 school districts in New York State were located in Westchester County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ossining High School</span> Comprehensive public high school in the United States

Ossining High School (OHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in Ossining, New York, United States, along the Hudson River in northern Westchester County, New York. Serving grades 9 through 12, it is the sole high school within the Ossining Union Free School District. The school serves the entirety of the village of Ossining, portions of the Village of Briarcliff Manor, Town of Ossining, and Town of New Castle, as well as a very small southern portion of the Town of Yorktown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Ossining Historic District</span> Older core of village in Westchester County, New York

The Downtown Ossining Historic District is located at the central crossroads of Ossining, New York, United States, and the village's traditional business district known as the Crescent. Among its many late 19th- and early 20th-century commercial buildings are many of the village's major landmarks—three bank buildings, four churches, its village hall, former post office and high school. It was recognized as a historic district in 1989 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as one of the few downtowns in Westchester County with its social and historical development intact.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scarborough Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

The Scarborough Historic District is a national historic district located in the suburban community of Scarborough-on-Hudson, in Briarcliff Manor, New York. The 376-acre (152 ha) district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and contains seven historically and architecturally significant properties dating from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. Most of the properties are domestic, or used for education or religion. The most common architectural styles within the district are Mid-19th Century Revival and Late Victorian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York</span>

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in northern Westchester County, New York, excluding the city of Peekskill, which has its own list.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter W. Law</span> English businessman and the founder of Briarcliff Manor, New York

Walter William Law was a businessman and the founder of the 8,000-person village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. He was a vice president of furniture and carpet retailer W. & J. Sloane, and later founded the Briarcliff Lodge, the Briarcliff Table Water Company, Briarcliff Farms, and the Briarcliff Greenhouses. He founded or assisted in establishing several schools, churches, and parks in the village, and rebuilt its train station in 1906. In the early 1900s, Walter Law was the largest individual landholder in Westchester County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarcliff Manor Fire Department</span> Village volunteer fire department

The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department (BMFD) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York and its hamlet Scarborough. The volunteer fire department also serves unincorporated areas of Ossining and Mount Pleasant. The fire department has three fire companies, two stations, and four fire engines. Its engines include three pumpers and a tower-ladder; the department also maintains other vehicles, including a heavy rescue vehicle. The Briarcliff Manor Fire Department Ambulance Corps provides emergency medical transport with two ambulances. The fire department is headquartered at the Briarcliff Manor Village Hall, with its other station in Scarborough, on Scarborough Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarcliff Lodge</span> Luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York

The Briarcliff Lodge was a luxury resort in the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York. It was a notable example of Tudor Revival architecture, and was one of the largest wooden structures in the United States. It was also the first hotel in Westchester County. Walter William Law had it built on his estate, and the Law family owned it until 1937. When the lodge opened in 1902, it was one of the largest resort hotels in the world. The lodge hosted presidents, royalty, and celebrities, and was the scene of numerous memorable occasions for visitors and local residents who attended weddings, receptions, and dances in the ballroom and dining room. For a long time, the lodge was situated among other businesses of Walter Law, including the Briarcliff Farms and Briarcliff Table Water Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District</span> School district in Briarcliff Manor, New York

The Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District is the public school district of Briarcliff Manor, New York. The district is an independent public entity, and is governed by the district Board of Education, whose members are elected in non-partisan elections for staggered, three-year terms. The board selects a superintendent, who is the district's chief administrative official. The district's offices are located in Todd Elementary School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Briarcliff Manor</span> Past events in the New York village

The history of Briarcliff Manor, a village in the county of Westchester, New York, can be traced back to the founding of a settlement between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers in the 19th century. The area now known as Briarcliff Manor had seen human occupation since at least the Archaic period, but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the village did not occur until the Industrial Revolution. The village, which was incorporated with one square mile in 1902, has expanded primarily through annexation: of Scarborough in 1906 and from the town of Mount Pleasant in 1927.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Archville, New York</span> Hamlet in New York, United States

Archville is a hamlet in Mount Pleasant in Westchester County, New York, United States. The hamlet consists of residences, businesses, and a fire station on Union Street, Arch Hill, and Requa Street, all abutting U.S. Route 9. Directly across Route 9 lies Rockwood Hall, part of the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. The volunteer Archville Fire Department serves the hamlet and surrounding area, from the Hudson River to Pocantico Lake and from the edge of Briarcliff Manor to the edge of Sleepy Hollow.

The history of Briarcliff Manor, a village in Westchester County, New York, can be traced back to the founding of a settlement between the Hudson and Pocantico Rivers in the 19th century. The area now known as Briarcliff Manor had seen human occupation since at least the Archaic period, but significant growth in the settlements that are now incorporated into the village did not occur until the Industrial Revolution. The village, which was incorporated with one square mile in 1902, has expanded primarily through annexation: of Scarborough in 1906 and from the town of Mount Pleasant in 1927 to its current area of 6.7 square miles (17 km2). The village has also grown in population; from 331 when established to 7,867 in the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briarcliff Manor Public Library</span> Public library serving Briarcliff Manor, New York

The Briarcliff Manor Public Library is the public library serving the village of Briarcliff Manor, New York, and is located on the edge of the Walter W. Law Memorial Park. The library is a founding member of the Westchester Library System. It is staffed by a director and eleven employees, including reference and youth librarians, and is governed by a ten-member board, with a liaison to the village board of trustees. The library offers computer classes, book discussion groups, young adult programs, a children's room and a local history collection. The library building also houses the Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society, the Briarcliff Manor Recreation Department, and the William J. Vescio Community Center.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mission and Plan".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ossining Public Library". Libraries.org. Library Technology Guides. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Staff".
  4. 1 2 3 "The Ossining Public Library...125th Anniversary Celebration". River Journal. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ossining Public Library 10 Years Later!". River Journal. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  6. 1 2 3 4 New Libraries That Don’t Just Go by the Book
  7. Wilson, David McKay (January 13, 2008). "Libraries Digging Deep for Geothermal Savings". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  8. Minzesheimer, Bob. "The John Cheever Reading Room". Ossining Public Library. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  9. "Governance and Budget". Ossining Public Library. Archived from the original on April 29, 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  10. "Westchester Library System" (PDF). New York State Library. June 30, 2018. Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  11. "Non-Traditional Collections - Ossining Public Library". www.ossininglibrary.org. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018.
  12. "Museum Passes".