"As a reader and consumer of books, the library is my refuge. When I was a child, my reading material always came from the library, and now I can share that with my children today. Adamstown Area Library is the center of our community, and we have always felt at home here. We've always felt supported and seen. So, thank you, for making so many meaningful memories for me." - AAL Patron
It all began in 1945 when members of the Adamstown Area Women's Club - out of a cleaned out chicken coop - formed a "reading center" lending library. In 1894, the library moved to the Adamstown YMCA and a few years later, the Adamstown Library Center was founded. Almost 100 years later, in 1996, the Adamstown Area Library became an official public library, housed in the Adamstown Borough offices. In 2020, the Library built a brand new library on Main Street, which added a much-needed reading room and dedicated children's room to the Library's space.
Currently, the library houses over 36,000 physical items, 6 public computers, a children's play area, an adult reading room with fireplace, and a programming room. The Library has a staff of three full time librarians and seven part time staff. In 2022, we circulated 221,957 items, hosted 462 programs with 16,035 attendees of all ages, and had 2,000 visitors log on to our public computers.
Of 35 comparable libraries (with similar population and revenue) in PA, we rank:
1st in children's circulation
4th in children's program attendance
5th in total circulation
6th in number of children's programs and total program attendance
