235 College
Street
Burlington, Vermont 05401
Main Telephone:
802.863.3403
Fax: 802.865.7227
TTY Relay 711
Reference Desk: 865.7217
Youth Department: 865.7216
Monday 8:30
— 6:00
Tuesday
8:30 — 6:00
Wednesday
8:30 — 9:00
Thursday 8:30 — 6:00
Friday 8:30 — 6:00
Saturday 9:00 — 5:30
Sunday 12:00 — 6:00
The Fletcher Free Library serves the evolving educational and cultural needs of the Greater Burlington community. Our urban public library offers a welcoming place for people to gather and to learn. A trained staff helps patrons locate the materials and information they need for work and pleasure.
Calendar
Year 2008
New Year's Day - Tuesday, January 1st
Martin Luther King Day - Monday, January 21st
President's Day - Monday, February 18th
Town Meeting Day - Tuesday, March 4th
Memorial Day - Monday, May 26th
Independence Day - Friday, July 4th
Bennington Battle Day - Friday, August 15th
Labor Day - Monday, September 1st
Columbus Day - observed Monday, October 13th
Veteran's Day - observed Tuesday, November 11th
Thanksgiving Day - Thursday, November 20th
Christmas Day - Thursday, December 25th
Top
of Page
The Fletcher Free Library is the public library of the city of Burlington. Burlington property tax payers and renters can receive a free library card. To get your library card just come into the library with typewritten proof of your Burlington address. Official proof of address includes: valid driver's license, utility bill, personal check, lease, and tax bill.
People who live outside of Burlington can purchase a one-year library card for $35.00. The card entitles the holder and immediate family to borrow books and other materials from the Fletcher Free Library. Senior citizens who live out-of-town can purchase a one-year library card for $15.00.
Burlington property tax payers, English-as-a-Second-Language students, Vermont Adult Learning students, and Burlington City employees can receive a free library card. Residents under 14 need a parent or legal guardian with them to get a library card. UVM, and Burlington College students who live off campus and rent in Burlington can receive a free card. Students who live in on-campus housing at these institutions must purchase a library card (neither UVM nor Burlington College pays Burlington property taxes). Champlain College students who live in Burlington, either on campus or off, can get a free library card (Champlain College pays Burlington property taxes).
The Fletcher Free Library is not a member of the Homecard system. Homecard is an affiliation of Chittenden County libraries that have reciprocal borrowing privileges. If you have a library card from a Homecard member library you can borrow materials from other Homecard member libraries.
The Library is located on the corner of College Street and South Winooski Avenue at 235 College Street. We are located one block east of Church Street. The Roxy movie theater is across the street from the library.
From Route 7 South In Burlington, go through the rotary and stay on Shelburne Road. 100 hundred yards after the rotary bear right on to South Union Street. At the first traffic light take a left on to Main Street. At the next light take a right on to South Winooski Avenue take your next right onto College Street. The library is immediately to your right.
From I-89 Take exit 14 west off of I-89 and proceed west on Route 2 toward Burlington. Drive past the University of Vermont. Continuing down the hill, you're now on Main Street, take a right onto South Winooski Avenue. Take your next right onto College Street. The library is immediately to your right.
A small metered parking lot is located on the east side of the library on College Street. A better option is to park in the parking garage located between Bank and Cherry Streets on South Winooski Avenue.
Chris Beneke (Page) 863-3403
Susan Bevins (Technical Services) 865-7221
Doug Chamberlain (Maintenance) 865-7212
Lorraine Colburn (Circulation Chief) 863-3403 x104
Robert Coleburn (Systems) 865-7218
Amber Collins (Co-Director) 865-7214
Anita Danigelis (Co-Director) 865-7224
Christine Demarais (Youth) 865-7216
Tenzin Dhondup (Circulation) 863-3403
Megan Estey (Youth) 865-7216
Emer Feeney (Circulation) 863-3403
Susan Fensch (Circulation/Page) 863-3403
Sammie Friedman (Technical Services) 865-7221
Amber Gaster (Outreach A*VISTA) 865-7211
Rebecca Goldberg (Youth) 865-7216
Judith Janone (Cataloging) 865-7223
Cara Lovell (Youth A*VISTA) 865-7228
Annie Morse (Computer Lab Monitor/Fundraising Admin.) 865-7223
Ruth Murphy (Reference) 865-7217
Nga Pham (Circulation/ILL) 863-3403 x103
Robert Resnik (Co-Director) 865-7222
Michael Schultz (Chair, Library Board of Commissioners)
Barbara Shatara (Outreach) 865-7211
Toni Taginski (Circulation) 863-3403
Beth Wright (Youth) 865-7216
A new plan for what the Library hopes to
accomplish within the next five years is under development. Click on
these links to read the 2000-2005 Long Range
Plan, formulated by the co-directors, citizens, and the Board of
Trustees, and the 2005 Report
on the Goals and Objectives accomplished.
On July 14, 1873, Mrs. Mary L. Fletcher, with her daughter, Miss Mary M. Fletcher, gave the city of Burlington $20,000 for the founding of the Fletcher Free Library. Half of this sum was to be spent on books; the other half was used to start an endowment for the library.
By 1901 the library had outgrown its location in the old City Hall building. In the same year, Andrew Carnegie made a gift of $50,000 for the construction of a new library. On August 17th, 1904, the new library was dedicated and opened for business. For almost 70 years the Carnegie building served the community well, but in 1973 the building sustained structural damage due to the settling of the northwest corner of the foundation (where poor quality material used to fill the former railroad ravine was settling). The collection was moved that year to temporary quarters in Contois Auditorium in City Hall, then a few months later to the basement of Memorial Auditorium.
In the early to mid 1970's there was some pressure from the citizenry to demolish the Carnegie building and rebuild on the site. In response, a group of Burlington residents formed The Committee to Save the Fletcher Free Library Building. A petition was circulated, and as a result, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in May of 1974. In 1977, an E.D.A. grant of $234,000 made possible the stabilization and external repair of the building. A Library Task Force was appointed to seek further funding for restoration and an addition to the Carnegie building.
In 1978, Burlington voters approved a 2.4 million-dollar bond issue to build an addition to the Carnegie building. The addition was dedicated on January 4, 1981 and marked a new chapter for Burlington's public library.
Today the Fletcher Free Library is a vibrant member of the Burlington community. We loaned more than 250,000 items in 2001. Our collection includes music CDs, books on tape, videos, a vast array of children's materials, and over 100,000 books. In the future, the Library will continue to seek out programs and services that will fulfill our patrons' pursuit of educational, cultural and life-long learning opportunities.
Although the Fletcher Free Library is a City Department, we rely on volunteers and donations to help us provide our excellent service.
Annual
Report, Fiscal Year 2007
This document outlines Library services and support for the fiscal
year July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. It provides an overview of
the how the Library operates, includes usage and donation totals, and
focuses on the Library's Outreach activities.
Annual
Report, Fiscal Year 2006
This document outlines Library services and support for the fiscal
year July 1, 2005 through June 30, 2006. It provides an overview of
the how the Library operates, includes usage and donation totals, and
profiles of some of our
valuable volunteers.
Visit the Support the Library page to see how you can help!