Saratoga Springs Public Library
(SSPL), established in 1950, is a
public library
located in
Saratoga Springs
in the
Capital District
area of
New York
. SSPL serves the
Saratoga Springs City School District
.
Services and facilities
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The three-story building on Henry Street that now houses the library was opened in 1995.
[1]
SSPL offers a wide variety of services in the building and via the web site. The library offers a collection of current, high demand print and non-print items, including
books on tape
or
compact discs
,
DVDs
, as well as access to online electronic information resources, downloadable audio books, ebooks and videos, and much more. The library provides public computer access and is Wi-Fi accessible. The Library offers free programs and activities for all ages.
Librarians are available to respond to the information needs of customers who walk-in or phone-in with questions. SSPL also provides Ask-A-Librarian (
https://www.sspl.org/contact/librarian/
), an email reference service.
The library offers
wireless
capability, a coffee shop, and
The Friends Book Shop
bookstore selling used paperback and hardbound books.
The Saratoga Room
is a collection of local history resources containing books, pamphlets, audio-visual materials on the Saratoga Springs area. Examples are a history of the effort to preserve the springs,
The Politics of Hydrotherapy and the Development of a New York State Policy
written by local resident and former Saratoga Spa State Park employee
Ed Murphy
, and the "Frank Sullivan Collection" of books written by humorist
Frank Sullivan
or inscribed to him by his famous friends. This room is open for limited hours.
The library is part of the
Southern Adirondack Library System
, providing an integrated online catalog and
interlibrary loan
among thirty-six libraries in Saratoga,
Warren
,
Washington
, and
Hamilton
counties.
History
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The first library in Saratoga Springs, the Saratoga Athenaeum, was a private
subscription library
founded in 1885 by a group that included
Spencer Trask
and
Joseph Drexel
among others. This library was first located on the corner of Broadway and Caroline Street, and moved to 344 Broadway in 1906.
In 1945 voters approved a proposal to construct a public library, which opened at 320 Broadway at the intersection of, Spring Street in a corner of
Congress Park
, in 1950.
[2]
When this library opened students from the Saratoga Springs school district carried the books down Broadway to their new home.
[3]
The library's current building at 49 Henry Street broke ground in 1993 and opened in 1995. It was designed by Architecture Plus of
Troy, New York
and The LA Group and Phillips Associates of Saratoga Springs.
[4]
References
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External links
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