Connecticut's Library Heritage
The expanded Farmington Library is the culmination of a long and illustrious history of library service in what is now a busy, suburban community. Subscription libraries, associations whose members bought shares and paid dues, existed in Farmington as early as 1712. In 1795 John Mix and John Treadwell founded the organization that later became the current Farmington Village Green & Library Association. In 1839, the association was called The Farmington Library Company and was open to anyone who paid an annual fee of fifty cents. During the 19th century, library books were kept in homes, then the Academy Building, and then the Town Clerk's office on School Street.
In 1882 Julia Brandegee started a competing free library, the Tunxis Library. In 1890 the two merged to become the Village Library Company. When Sarah Porter died in 1900, she left the Village Library Company two acres of land across from the Elm Tree Inn on which to build a public library or maintain a park. In 1901 the Village Library Company became the Farmington Village Green & Library Association (FVGLA), a name it has carried for 100 years. The FVGLA chose another site for a new library, and in 1917 D. Newton Barney built the Village Library in memory of his mother Sarah Brandegee Barney. This building, with the addition of a children's wing in 1959, served as the main library for Farmington until 1982 when the new library on Monteith Drive was opened. In 1995, improvements were undertaken for ADA compliance and to incorporate new technologies. That project was funded privately, with contributions from the town, the State Library, the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, and the townspeople. In December 1999, the Village Branch was re-dedicated as the Barney Library.
In November 1996, the Farmington Library Committee published a Five Year Plan:1997-2002 that stated the intent to begin long range planning, project library needs for the next twenty years, and evaluate possible expansion of the main library. The October 1997 minutes of the FVGLA stated "…other library goals for the next year include assessing facilities needs for the year 2003 and the following 20 years, incorporating the library's facility needs into a town capital plan…" An Expansion Sub-Committee of the Library Committee was formed with Ed Preneta as chairman. In January 1999, he was named chairman of the Library Building Committee. In March 1999, the FVGLA appropriated $100,000 to develop preliminary architectural plans, including fees for Tuthill & Wells Architects and library consultant Nolan Lushington.
Between March 1999 and March 2000, staff with the guidance of the consultant, the Library Committee, and the Building Committee, reviewed each area in the library and developed a building program reflecting current space needs and estimates for growth over twenty years. The configuration of the building and space needs were redefined several times, taking into consideration the limits of the site (not impinging on the playing field in front of the High School) and the parameters of the budget.
In March 2000, the preliminary plans were presented to the trustees at the FVGLA's annual meeting. The Town Council reviewed the plans in April and at an informal hearing in May 2000 they were reviewed by the Farmington Planning & Zoning Commission. On September 4, 2001, the Farmington Town Council approved the project and sent it to TPZ for final review. The project was unanimously approved by TPZ on October 15. On November 6, 2001, Farmington voters approved the referendum question: " Shall the Town of Farmington appropriate $ 3,950,000 for a grant to the Farmington Village Green and Library Association for expansion of the Monteith Drive public library and authorize the issuance of bonds and notes in the same amount to finance said appropriation?" The vote was 3,198 for, 1,494 against, better than a 2-1 margin of victory.
The library opened the doors of the newly expanded, 47,094 square foot facility, on Tuesday, July 1, 2003, preceded by a ribbon cutting ceremony. Over 4,000 people walked through the doors on July 1 to enjoy the following benefits: