Woodbury Community Library

From the book "Where The Books Are"
Written by Patricia W. Belding, Potash Book Publishing

The Woodbury Community Library, one of the most recent of the 14 such libraries in the state, shares a small clapboard building beside the Woodbury Elementary School, located off VT Route 14 in the Center. In 1991, town residents held a "barn raising" (or "library raising") event and put up the one-room building to house the school's book collection. During the 1994-95 academic year, the Woodbury Public library books were moved from their former location in the town clerk's building.

A century before, at the 1895 March meeting, the Woodbury Town library was established, joining 40 other Vermont libraries to accept the law of 1894 that year. By 1898, B.H. Daniels was in charge of 229 volumes and at the following March meeting, the trustees reported that 38 books had been purchased from R.H. White & Company of Boston for $23.04 (60 cents each!), with shipping charges of $1.50.

By 1930, the books had been classified, lettered, and labeled, and children were taking a great interest in reading. At about this time, the library was located in J.A. Thorpe's general store with his wife as librarian and could be visited whenever the store was open. In 1932, the Hardwick library donated four new books, while eight small ones for children were bought with money from fines.

In 1953, the local grange chose the library as their project and offered rent-free space in their hall. Here the books were kept for 20 years until they were moved in 1973 to a former Greek Revival school built about 1860 on the main highway. Volunteers painted and carpeted a basement room in preparation for the move. In 1986, David Mamet--Pulitzer Prize winner for drama in 1984--donated his complete works to the library. At the time, he was Woodbury's unofficial poet-in-residence.

The present library with its physically-accessible entrance and rest room is lighted by a bank of large windows on one side. There is talk of an addition since the space is quite limited for the 89 students and the other 680 town residents.

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