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/
Employment Opportunities
LIBRARY CLERK SUBSTITUTES – We are currently accepting applications for library clerk substitute positions. Potential substitute hours include all those when the library is open (including some evenings and Saturdays). If you are interested in being a per-diem substitute at the Chatham Public Library, please complete a Non-Teaching Employment Application and submit it to the Superintendent’s Office, Chatham Central School District, 50 Woodbridge Avenue, Chatham, NY 12037.
Contact
CHATHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY
11 Woodbridge Ave.
Chatham, NY 12037
518-392-3666
518-392-1546 (FAX)
CANAAN BRANCH LIBRARY
1647 County Rt 5
Canaan, NY 12029
518-781-3392
General Questions: chathampubliclibrary@chatham.k12.ny.us
Library Director: merka@chatham.k12.ny.us
Library Staff











Library Governance
Chatham Central School District Board of Education
- Matthew Fisch, President
- Christopher Spencer, Vice President
- Muriel Faxon
- Beth Hover
- Fred Hutchinson
- Marianne Pierro
- Patricia Wilson
- Gracie Gebel, Student Rep
Chatham Public Library Advisory Committee (CPLAC)
- John McGowan – Chair
- Jane Herzhauser Co-Chair
- Jean Northup Co-Chair
- Nancy Vazac Jackson – Secretary
- Michael Chudy
- Muriel Faxon
- Beth Hover
- Sheila Stumph
Library Advisory Committee Meeting Schedule and Records
- September 13, 2022 at 9am
- November 1, 2022 at 9am
- February 7, 2023 at 9am
- April 4, 2023 at 9am
- May 2, 2023 at 9am
- June 13, 2023 at 9am
CPLAC Meetings are held at the Library and are open to the public. Please use the downstairs entrance as meetings are held before the library opens.
- CPLAC Meeting Records
- Strategic Plan
- Annual Report to the Community 2022
- Annual Report to the Community 2021
- Annual Report to the Community 2020
- Annual Report to the Community 2019
- Library Policies (Click on Policies at top right and select “9000 – Chatham Public Library” to view all Library policies)