Anniversary

1910s

March 8, 1914 - Mrs. Lena Hoag and 30 other women organized the Women's Village Improvement Society at The Suffolk County News office. Their biggest and most immediate project was to establish a Public Library.

July 20, 1914 - The women form a Library Association. This had to be separate and distinct from any other group (including the WVIS) and was needed to obtain a charter, transact business, hold property, and to draw an appropriation from the State to purchase "approved books."

August 12-13, 1914 - the Association held a Bazaar at the Opera House, offering diverse items for sale as well as entertainment; profits of over $500 were for the Library Fund.

October 14, 1914 - Library Opened above Otto’s Meat Market on Brush Block. This located was offered by Mrs. Brush, at no cost. Merchants provided furnishings, contractors provided free labor and other townspeople gave books, furniture and money.

The initial plan was to have it open for two hours on three afternoons and two evenings (i.e. 10 hours) a week.

1918 - The Library received a gift of 3,000 books from the collection of Dr. George R. Brush, more than doubling the size of the Library's current collection. 

Ida Gillette gave the Library the deed to a 75’ x 125’ lot on the east side of Gillette Avenue for construction of a new building, however raising the money to build one proved impossible.

1920s

November 1, 1923 - the Library Association voted to purchase the Reuben Edwards Homestead on South Main Street for $10,000.

July 18, 1928  - The Ways and Means Committee hosts a benefit to raise funds for the Sayville Library. The benefit included numbers from the Sayville High School Orchestra and a "musical frolic" in two acts.

1930s

1932 - Library begins offering first Children's Storytelling programs 

1934 - Children’s Book Week first celebrated

1940s

1942 -  As part of the war effort, Victory Book Drives were held to collect books for the troops.

1949

1950s

1952 - Became a School District Library to ensure more state support,  This required severing the ties between SVIS and the Library Association and transferring assets to the School District.

September 26, 1952 - Absolute Charter granted by the University of the State of New York.

Architect Carl B. Stoye's 1953 rendering of Sayville Library and the proposed brick addition at the back of the library.  The entrance to the library was on South Main Street/Middle Road before the addition was built.
 

January 29, 1955 - The 1955 brick addition to Sayville Library featured a new main entrance, the circulation desk, public and staff restrooms, a cloak closet, the librarian's desk, a workroom and the children's library.  The white building behind the addition was the main part of the library.  It was originally the Reuben Edwards house, purchased for the library in the 1920's.  This wooden structure was razed in the '60s to make way for a bigger library.

1960s

1960 - Talking Books were  introduced and circulated free to members of the community who met the criteria for use.

1961 - Rapid population growth made construction once again a necessity. Plans are made to demolish the older portion of the library and build a larger, more modern space.

July 1965 through May 1966 - During the construction of the new library building, Sayville Library relocated to the former New York Telephone Company building on Railroad Avenue. The sign on the building reads: Temporary Location of the Sayville Library.

May 7, 1966 - Cornerstone Ceremony celebrating the completion of the new library. The new construction increased the library's book capacity from 41,000 to 78,536.

1970s

Library Continued to provide programming and access to multimedia - including a record player with headphones for use in the library, and a motion picture camera.

1980s

1981 - Video tapes are introduced to the Library collection.

Stories on tape available for children to listen to in groups of up to four at a time, 16 mm films were also shown in the small activities room.

1983 - Gazebos demolished

November 17, 1985 - Elinor Haff Wing dedicated - included an expanded Children’s Wing, a small meeting room and offices.

1990s

1994 - patron using computers (maybe an OPAC?)

1997 - Computers available for patrons of all ages

1999 - Fall Library joined PALS (Partnership of Automated Libraries in Suffolk County) and began conversion to an updated automation system; a major advantage was that if borrowers could not find what they were searching for here, they could check on line and find another library that could provide it.

2000s

November 2000 - 125 historic postcards were digitized and put on the library's website to help students and local historians connect with their past. This was the beginning of digitization of local history items

2001 - It was evident that the Library again needed increased space and parking. The Library had a collection of about 100,000 books, 15,000 audio/visuals and 5,000 periodicals; its attendance had jumped by over 77% in the last five years; and its 55-seat, 500 square foot meeting room was playing host to many from among 170 local groups.

A proposal for a new two-story, 37,000 square-foot building on Greene Ave was rejected by voters concerned by its $10-13 million cost.

2002 - The Library received 323,000 visits (up from 195,000 in 1995) and 13,300 had attended 730 in-house community programs of various types (up from 7,000 at 500 in 1995).

November 1, 2006 - The proposal for the new building on the 1.38 acre site on 88 Greene Avenue was passed by a narrow margin. 

June 28, 2009 - Sayvilleites lined the streets connecting the old Library on Collins Avenue with the new one on Greene Avenue by hand-to-hand passing of one book,  A History of Early Sayville, from one to the other, they came together at the site of "Old '88" to welcome the new Sayville Library. Following a brief ceremony and ribbon-cutting, residents entered the 39,000 square foot building for orientation tours and musical entertainment.

2010s

August 3, 2013 - The 2013 Sayville Summerfest Included a 4 mile run around Sayville to commemorate the Library's 100th Anniversary.

September 27, 2015 - The Library opens its new Courtyard outside of the Children's Department.

2020s
& Beyond

2020 - The Library launches a new, completely overhauled website and unveils their new logo.

March, 13 2020 - Library closes for the Covid-19 pandemic. It would remain closed for three months.

During this time, the Library switched to entirely virtual services: live, virtual programming over Zoom and Facebook, creating dozens of prerecorded lessons on Youtube, and online assistance through virtual chat or email. 

The Library also offered "curbside" pick-up service throughout the Covid-19 lockdown so patrons could still check out items from the Library with minimal risk.

November 6, 2021 - The Library holds its first annual Sayville Fan Fest, a Library-wide celebration of various fandoms.

December 2022 - The first episode of the Library's premiere podcast, Between the Shelves, is released. The podcast is recorded in the "Sayville Studio" a soundproof study room adjacent to the recently renovated Makery.

June 2023 - The Library opens The Makery to the public, a makerspace and meeting space for technology and crafting programs.

Sayville Library continues to meet the changing needs of the community.  With multiple spaces for meetings and programming that are open for public and library use, an active Makery for Technology and Craft programming, a Library of Things as well as discount tickets and Museum Passes the Library continues to innovate and stay relevant for our patrons. We extend beyond the walls with The Navigator Bookmobile, classroom visits to local schools and a vast Community Outreach program.