MALTA TOWN LIBRARY
Round Lake Library Website

                                    History of Malta’s Round Lake Library

The Round Lake Library, originally known as the “The Free Library and Reading Room,” opened July 6, 1897 in the house at 31 Wesley Avenue, where it has thrived for the past 109 years.  Initially serving the Round Lake Association and the Village of Round Lake after its incorporation in 1969, this historic gem has long been a cultural centerpiece of our community.  The library serves all localities in the Town of Malta.

The Women’s Round Lake Improvement Society (WRLIS), the ladies’ civic and educational league which began as the “Kerosene Club” in 1896, was the catalyst behind the formation of the library, and it retains its administrative role, influence, leadership, and support of the library today.

At the time of its founding, the Round Lake Library was only the second library in Saratoga County and the first to have its own building.  Its collection began with 400 books donated by local residents.  It also had the distinction of being the first Saratoga County library to join the Southern Adirondack Library System (SALS) when SALS was created and chartered by the New York State Board of Regents in 1957.  At its Centennial in 1997, the Library added 100 new books to its collection, each labeled with a commemorative book plate. The collection has grown considerably – to over 18,000 holdings, including books, subscriptions, and electronic media – and literally fills the lovely Victorian structure on Wesley Avenue.

Beginning with the foresight of WRLIS, the Round Lake Library has had a long history of innovative developments that has fostered its stature as a beloved fixture in the Round Lake and Malta communities.

In 1900, the year of incorporation, the Library’s objectives were expressed in this way: 

“We are formed for charitable, benevolent,

scientific, literary, artistic, and historical

purposes.”

WRLIS entrusted Mrs. Barker as Library Chairman, and the Clark House, owned by Caroline Garnsey (a well-respected Association benefactress), was rented for $150 per year as the Library’s home.  Mrs. Garnsey later bequeathed this building and a large endowment to the Library in her will.

The Library’s first three librarians, as it turn out were from the same family – Louise Loderwick Stevens (of Troy), Grace Powers, and then Dorothy Northup (by 1954) –  mother, daughter, and granddaughter, respectively!

Other notable developments in the history of the Round Lake Library involve its advancements in library science and management.  In 1908, New York State assisted the Library in establishing and using the Dewey Decimal System.  In 1955, the Vischer Ferry Library gifted many books which replaced the Round Lake’s deteriorating collection and enhanced its offerings.  As the first library in Saratoga County to join SALS in 1957, the Library received funding for books, equipment, and reference materials.  By 1968, the Library offered borrowing of books, records, art prints, and films, as well as reference services, and, eventually, interlibrary loan.

WRLIS’s support of the Library has remained constant and strong since founding it in 1897.  It instituted a “fair day” early on and sweets, treats, and novelty items were sold.  Men joined in the festivities, supporting WRLIS, when automobiles came in to use, and funds for the Library were raised by charging for rides—10 cents to Maltaville and 25 cents to Dunning Street.  WRLIS has run many other projects to support the Library over the years:  the Round Lake Victorian Village House Tour, bake sales, social functions, spring and fall clean-ups, Christmas decorations, flower box and summer planting contests, Brownie and Girl Scout troops, and story hours for children. The group also administered the Fannie A. Rowe Trust Fund (originally established to aid the Library through the Great Depression), as well as the Dorothy Northup Fund (a portion of which was used to purchase the Victoriana collection in 1989).

The Round Lake Library still occupies its original Victorian-style home, to which some additions have been made—most notably the Kate VanDenbers Memorial Committee Room (after losing the social room in the Arcade fire of 1921) and the WRLIS meeting room on the second floor.

The Town of Malta began its financial support to the Library in 1965 with a gift of $1000—an amount which has steadily grown and is now approximately $53,000 per year. 

Serving the entire Town of Malta and the surrounding area as well as students from the Shenendehowa School District, the Round Lake Library is literally bursting --  bursting with pride—but also bursting out of its space!

The Round Lake Library, chartered by the New York State Education Department Board of Regents, is a mainstay of the Round Lake and Malta communities and offers a vast array of library services often only seen in larger cities and towns.  Its devotion to children’s programming, along with educational services for the entire adult population, endears the Library to families.  A popular book shop was opened in 2000. The Library serves 13,000 to 16,000 visitors each year.  Close to 1000 residents are Library members.

The history of the Round Lake Library is intertwined with the development and the “identity” of Round Lake as a village and with its immense contribution to the civic and educational pride of all Malta residents.  Its institutional stature in our area far surpasses the cozy and quaint quarters on Wesley Avenue and has magnanimously fulfilled its mission as an enhancer of our quality of life here.  The Round Lake Library reminds us in a constant way of the role a beloved library has in the intrinsic and everlasting spirit of a community, and it has engendered a vital connection between the Village of Round Lake and the Town of Malta for all time. The Library continues to serve as a vital community resource – as a local gathering place and learning institution.  The role of the Library in helping shape the character of the Round Lake and Malta communities and in serving residents of all ages is unique in this rural but growing area.  Much of the success of the Library is attributed to the many village volunteers of all ages who perform a wide variety of services designed to benefit its operation and help it defray overhead costs.

The Library and the Town are preparing to meet the demands of a growing population while preserving the small town rural and historic character that is “Malta.”  If the past is any indication of the future, the Round Lake Library will continue to evolve and change to meet the needs of its residents and patrons.

By Teri Ulrich,  Historian, Town of Malta,     April 2006

Sources:   Round Lake Library website. ,  Kimberly Debus – of the Round Lake Library.,Round Lake Association:  1868-1968 – compiled by WRLIS for the Centennial Celebration (August 1968).,Round Lake:  Little Village in the Grove – by Mary Hesson, David J. Rogowski, and Marianne Comfort (1998).,Women’s Round Lake Improvement Society:  Library Annual Report for Public and Association Libraries – 2005.,


Round Lake Library Newsletter - February 2010