The Trustees of Morristown Centennial Library

Trustees

Sue Sargent, Chair
Pat Stevens, Secretary
John Meyer, Treasurer
Ruth B. Brown
Scott Corse
J. B. McKinley
Kathleen O'Neill
Molly Pease
Lisa Vinick

Trustees meet the second Thursday of the month at 4:30 PM at the Library unless otherwise stated on the Home Page

Andrew Carnegie

From the Trustees....

The Morristown Centennial Library Association (MCLA) was established by a group of citizens in 1891, the centennial year of Morristown¹s founding, for the purpose of providing a public library for the area. The Articles of Association establish that all residents of the town are eligible to be members of the Association, and that a Board of Trustees is responsible for the management of the business affairs of the library.

The original library opened April 19, 1891, "to disseminate useful knowledge and to contribute in every proper way to the literary, moral, and educational welfare of the community." By 1910, the space used by the library was insufficient and the trustees decided to build a new facility. A grant was obtained by sending a simple one page letter to Andrew Carnegie. Along with additional donations and a pledge of continuing support from the town, the library as we know it was built on town land and opened in July 1913.

While various minor modifications have been made to the building over time, the only major change occurred in 1960 when the basement was fitted out to provide shelving and other facilities. However, the library is essentially the same building as completed in 1913. This space is no longer sufficient to allow the library to effectively fulfill its mission of service to the citizens of Morristown. Consequently the Board of Trustees is conducting a capital campaign to raise funds for an addition to the present facility as well as much-needed renovations to the original building.

Today the MCLA remains a private, non-profit public-service corporation, and continues to operate the library. The Board of Trustees has ten members, each elected for a five-year term. The Association¹s annual meeting is held at the library on Town Meeting Day, and all citizens of the town are invited to attend.