Origin to Present Day
The Thayer Memorial Library’s roots reach back to 1790 when its predecessor, the Lancaster Library (later renamed the Lancaster Social Library), was first established. It was in 1862 that Lancaster residents voted to create a tax-supported free public library – then named the Lancaster Town Library. The Library’s Historical Museum was established in 1863.
In 1868 soon after the War, Memorial Hall commemorating Lancaster’s Civil War dead was erected to house the growing Library. In 1888, the first expansion and renovation of the Library building were completed. The new facility was believed to have the capacity to hold 40,000 volumes of various sizes.
In 1929, the Library greatly enlarged its service space by adding the children’s room. The latest addition was in 1999 when the Library more than doubled its size to 19,147 square feet, including an enlarged Special Collections room, two meeting spaces for large and small groups, and enough space to hold more than 70,000 volumes. At this time, the Board of Trustees re-dedicated the newly renovated Library as the Thayer Memorial Library to recognize the many contributions of the Thayer family throughout the Library’s history.
In 2021, the Library staff consists of a full-time Director and full-time Assistant Director/Adult Services Librarian. We also employ, on a part-time basis, a Special Collections Librarian, a Youth Services Librarian, a Senior Library Technician, a Library Technician, and four Library Associates. The Library is open to the public 49 hours per week. Thayer Memorial Library has a large cadre of volunteers who contribute over 1,000 hours of service each year. The Friends of Thayer Memorial Library continue to support the development of services at the Library and currently underwrite a variety of programs and services.
A board of six elected trustees with terms of three years governs the Library. The Trustees are solely responsible for all monies appropriated by the Town for the Library and all money or property received by the Town by gift or bequest for the Library. In addition, the Library Trustees assure that Lancaster residents receive excellent service by certifying that standards established by the Commonwealth are always maintained.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Thayer Memorial Library brings people, information, and ideas together to enrich lives and build community.
CORE VALUES
- Passion: We love the Library; we love Lancaster, and we love what we do.
- Free and Open: We promote intellectual freedom and privacy for all.
- Inspiration: We enhance learning, the free flow of ideas, and civic responsibility.
- Respect: We respond to all with courtesy and compassion.
- Integrity: We uphold a bond of trust between the Library and the community as stewards of our collections and our building.
- Legacy: We treasure the history of Lancaster and its Library as we embrace the future.