Newfield Public Library: a community center

The Newfield Public Library is not just a place where people can borrow books or use computers. It has also served as a community center for the town for over a century, even in the face of difficult times, from a town fire to a global pandemic.

The library was first chartered in 1889. It is currently located at 198 Main St. but was originally located across the street.

In September 1969, the library, along with the town hall and three other buildings, burned down. It took the library four weeks to resume operations in a temporary location at the local school. In May 1970, the Newfield Grange 242 donated its building to the library, which became the library’s current location after an open house in October 1970.

Library Director Sue Chaffee said the speed at which Newfield’s library recovered and moved into a new location was extraordinary, considering the amount of work that was required.

“Community members, just like today, are extremely supportive of the library,” Chaffee said.

The Grange building was significantly larger than the old library, being approximately 1,500 square feet — before it was later expanded — as opposed to 600 square feet. In order to convert the Grange building into a library, the library needed to purchase bookshelves, install a new heating system, perform other repairs and purchase land behind the building to install a septic tank.

Over time, the library expanded at its location, renovating the second floor and roughly doubling the ground floor’s size. Discussions about the renovation project began in 1989, fundraising started in 1991 and the construction finished in 1997. Having a larger ground floor allowed the library to store more books and allowed more patrons in at any given time.

Earlier this year, the library, in conjunction with the Newfield Historical Society, rented an apartment next door to the library for use as the History and Activities Center. According to Chaffee, the library uses the space for its archives as its need for space has grown over time.

“That’s just proof of the library continuing to grow and needing the space upstairs and at the same time the Historical Society [is] experiencing growth and giving them the additional space next door,” she said. “It was just a win-win for both of our groups and the entire community.”

Chaffee described the library as a community resource. She said that many residents rely on the library for the computers and internet service it provides, and the demand has continued to grow.

“Even if people have printers at home, they still want to come to the library and print high-quality documents and scan documents as well,” Chaffee said. “The use of our public computers and our public Wi-Fi has increased over the years substantially.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the library was forced to quickly adapt to social distancing guidelines. 

Chaffee said that while the library closed March 13, 2020, it was only forced to cancel one Family Storytime event before transitioning to Zoom and holding events remotely. The library also offered support to community members who needed anything, delivered items to people and sent messages out to the Newfield community.

“Right from the beginning, we jumped into action and have continued to do that throughout the pandemic and will continue to do this as we come out of this pandemic,” Chaffee said. “We’re just very focused on learning and continuing to learn what the needs of our community are and trying to come up with programming and collection development to meet those needs.”

In response to the pandemic, the library expanded its wireless internet range, enabling residents to connect to the library’s internet from farther away (full story available at tompkinsweekly.com/articles/bridging-the-digital-divide). 

The library has also helped teach residents how to use Zoom in order to communicate with family members during the pandemic and has allowed residents to use library space for family Zoom calls or telehealth appointments if they are unable to use Zoom at home.

Chaffee said that after the library resumed circulating library items and offered curbside pickup, the Newfield community was appreciative. She recalled seeing smiles on community members’ faces when they came to pick up their orders of books, DVDs and other library items.

“It’s just amazing how many people use the library and enjoy the space here and how much they missed it and how much we missed them when we were open,” Chaffee said.

Chaffee described the library as an invaluable part of the community, as the closest equivalent to a community center for a small rural community like Newfield.

“Whether people are looking for books, or movies, or to do research, or to just meet with community members, our community relies on this library for that,” Chaffee said.

In Brief:

Rhythm Round at the library

The Newfield Public Library will hold a Rhythm Round from 7 to 8 p.m. May 20 to celebrate International Drum/Percussion Month. It is a recreational drum event in which participants experiment with percussion instruments, including their hands, and no experience is required. Participants 18 years old and older are welcome, but space is limited for this in-person library event.

For more information or to register, visit newfieldpubliclibrary.org/events/game-night-630.

Storytime With Miss Sue

The Newfield Public Library’s Storytime with Miss Sue will take place from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. May 25 and will feature songs, stories and more. Call or email the library for the Zoom link.

The library can be reached by phone at (607) 564-3594 or by email at newfieldlibrary@gmail.com.