Fletcher Memorial Library is a library association maintained by a Board
of Directors and operated by the Library Director and a group of
dedicated volunteers.
The library serves
as the library for the Town of Hampton and is part of the Connecticut
State Library Inter-Library Loan system
(iCONN) . Fletcher Memorial
uses the state library database to maintain and update a complete record
of the Library’s entire collection of books, videotapes and disks, and
audiotapes. The library loans out books to other libraries through
Inter-Library Loan, and takes requests from Hampton residents to borrow
materials from across the state.
The library is housed in a 19th
century dwelling on Main Street donated to the town by Austin Fletcher
to be used in perpetuity as a public library. The Library public rooms
are on two floors of rooms with classical moldings, wood floors and a
curving staircase, and has a disabled entrance and bathroom.
Fletcher Memorial is one of the few
libraries still to maintain a card catalog in an old wooden drawer file
and to check out books with hand written signatures. But, Fletcher has
kept up with the times by offering patrons use of two computers with
Internet service and by building up a collection of DVDs, CDs, and audio
books.
FML volunteers welcome their friends and
neighbors, and newcomers and visitors, to a beautiful building that has
been the home of the local library for almost a hundred years. Even
when the library is busy, volunteers give every patron individual
attention. We try to fill every request, even if we have to get back to
a patron later, and we set aside the work of the circulation desk until
everyone has been helped.
Serving as an FML volunteer keeps alive
the beautiful tradition of the local library that serves as a public
“living room” for the residents of a small town, a place where they can
find knowledge, entertainment, and the company of good friends.
Hampton Authors
Hampton is home to
several authors. Their books can be found at the library.
Alison Brown Davis
Alison and her husband, Wendell, are long time residents of Hampton
and carry an extensive history of the town in their heads.
"Hampton
Remembers" - a series of interviews with some of Hampton's
oldest residents.
Janet C. and James O. Robertson
"All
Our Yesterdays: A Century of Family Life in an American Small Town"
From Library Journal
After buying an old house in Hampton, Connecticut, the Robertsons--James,
an academic, and Janet, an author--discovered that their home had
been owned by only one family since it was built in the 1790s.
Through papers, love letters, books, visiting cards, and travel
records they have been able to reconstruct the history of America
through the lives of the previous owners. A captivating narrative
portrays this microcosm of life; we are able to share in the shaping
of American history as we know it today. The unique aspect of this
book is that history is told through the lives of the people who
lived through it. We share the everyday lives of everyday people as
they define and shape what is to become an integral part of our
national past. Recommended for all libraries.
- Barbara Zaborowski, Cambria Cty. Lib., Johnstown, Pa.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Library Hours
Monday:
9AM-noon
Tuesday: 6PM-8PM
Wednesday: 2PM-8PM
Thursday: 9AM-noon
&
6PM-8PM
Friday: CLOSED
Saturday: 10AM-4PM
Sunday: CLOSED
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Historical Information about
the Library
A rare book room - including an
extensive archive of Connecticut history - is only a small portion of
what awaits you in this family friendly Public Library. There is a
treasury of genealogical records, lots of current fiction, non-fiction
and biographies, a children's room, a sun-filled reading room and 2
computers to access the Internet.
The building is special too. This
simple Italianate home was built for Caroline Soule sometime between
1860 and 1865. It still has many of its original features.
In 1923, Austin Fletcher established an
endowment to support a future Library that included his family's
collection of books. In 1924, when Charles Chadwick bought and donated
this house for that purpose, the match was made!
When you visit, be sure to read the
Proclamation in the front entry hall. This historical document, as well
as vintage maps in the reference room, are "must sees."
To learn more about Hampton, ask the
Librarian for these titles: "Hampton Remembers," by Alison Davis; "All
Our Yesterdays," by James O. and Janet C. Robertson; "Discovering
Hampton," by Janice Trecker; "A Naturalist Buys and Old Farm," by Edwin
Way Teale.
There is ample parking in the adjacent
Church parking lot.
Text from
'Hampton...
a very special place';
written by Barbara Andersen; used with permission. |
