MISSION & HISTORY

The mission of the Chatham Public Library is to nurture a sense of community, past and present, and advance the benefits of lifelong learning.

The Chatham Public Library was chartered in 1902 and has the special features of weekly storyhours, a local history collection, Internet access & Wi-Fi, Large Print fiction, the Chatham Courier on microfilm, online museum pass reservations, eBooks, eMagazines & eAudiobooks, and streaming video collections. The Chatham Central School District operates the library, one of only two public libraries in NYS that are within a school district. Click here to read a brochure about the founding of the library.

The Canaan Branch of the Chatham Public Library was founded in 1895 and specializes in adult fiction and children’s materials.

It is with gratitude and humility that the Chatham Public Library acknowledges that we are learning, sharing, and gathering on the ancestral homelands of the Muhheaconneok or Mohican people, who are the indigenous peoples of this land. Despite tremendous hardship in being forced from here, today their community resides in Wisconsin and is known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all.

To learn more about the Stockbridge-Munsee Community and Culture, please visit www.mohican.com/