The Rochester Public Library is a public library system serving the city of Rochester, New York, United States. Founded in 1911, the system consists of the Central Library, located in downtown Rochester, and ten neighborhood branch libraries.[1] The library is a member of the Monroe County Library System, which serves all of Monroe County, New York.[2]
| Rochester Public Library | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 43°09′15″N 77°36′29″W / 43.1542°N 77.6081°W | |
| Location | 115 South Avenue, Rochester, New York, United States |
| Type | Public library system |
| Established | 1911 |
| Access and use | |
Population served | City of Rochester |
| Other information | |
| Website | roccitylibrary |
History
editEarly libraries
editThe history of libraries in Rochester dates to the 1820s with the formation of literary social clubs. The Rochester Athenaeum was founded in 1828, followed by the Mechanics Literary Association in 1836. These organizations sponsored book collections that were often made available to the public. The two groups merged in 1847 to form the Athenaeum and Mechanics Association, whose collection grew to several thousand volumes before the organization went bankrupt in 1877.[3]
Mortimer Reynolds, a prominent Rochester businessman, purchased the collection virtually intact. The Reynolds Library operated as a subscription library until it merged with the Rochester Public Library in the 1930s.[3]
Establishment of the public library
editIn 1911, Mayor Hiram Edgerton signed an amendment to the city charter establishing the Rochester Public Library. The library system was organized on a branch plan, with branches proposed immediately. The Exposition Park Branch, located in what is today Edgerton Park, opened in 1912 as the first branch of the Rochester Public Library.[3]
Also in 1911, Rochester resident Morton W. Rundel died and bequeathed $400,000 to the city for a library and fine arts building. Legal disputes among Rundel's heirs delayed use of the funds until 1931.[3]
Budget problems and World War I postponed construction of a central library facility. In 1926, the Central Library opened in the former Kimball Tobacco Factory building at the corner of Court and Exchange Streets, which had been converted to a City Hall Annex.[3]
Rundel Memorial Library
editConstruction of a permanent central library building began in December 1933. The Reynolds Library agreed to merge its collections into the new building, with the stipulation that a Reynolds Reference Library would be maintained. The Rundel bequest, after accruing interest, had grown to approximately one million dollars, supplemented by a Public Works Administration grant.[3]
The local architectural firm of Gordon & Kaelber designed the building, which was constructed between 1934 and 1936. The Rundel Memorial Building was dedicated on October 4, 1936. Built above the Johnson and Seymour millrace along the Genesee River, the building integrates Beaux-Arts planning with Art Deco detailing. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.[3]
Modern expansion
editIn 1997, the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building opened across the street from the Rundel Building, expanding the Central Library campus.[4] Together, both buildings at 115 South Avenue serve as the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County.[1]
In 2024, the library received $435,000 from the New York State Aid for Library Construction program to replace the Rundel Building's north elevator, along with $171,190 for roof replacement at the Charlotte branch.[5]
Central Library
editThe Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County occupies two buildings: the Rundel Memorial Library and the Bausch & Lomb Public Library Building. The Central Library serves as both a public library and the operational hub of the Monroe County Library System.[2] The Bausch & Lomb Building also houses the Foodlink Community Café, a pay-it-forward restaurant operated by Foodlink, a Rochester-based nonprofit. Opened in 2021, the café is staffed by culinary apprentices enrolled in Foodlink's Career Fellowship program and offers meals on a sliding scale.[6][7]
Local History and Genealogy Division
editThe Local History and Genealogy Division, located on the second floor of the Rundel Building, holds the largest collection of materials about the history of Rochester and the Genesee Valley in the region. The collection includes more than 10,000 photographs and postcards, 3,000 maps, 2,000 school yearbooks, 350 scrapbooks, and city directories dating from 1827.[8]
Notable holdings include original issues of The North Star, the anti-slavery newspaper published by Frederick Douglass in Rochester, records of the Rochester Women's Educational and Industrial Union, and personal papers of Susan B. Anthony and Nathaniel Rochester.[8]
The division publishes Rochester History, a journal covering the history of Rochester and western New York. First published in January 1939 by City Historian Blake McKelvey, the journal continues as a biannual publication.[9]
Archive of Black History and Culture
editIn 2024, the library launched the Archive of Black History and Culture, a collection documenting African American history in Rochester and the surrounding region. The archive includes materials related to Frederick Douglass's time in Rochester, the Underground Railroad, and the city's civil rights history.[10]
Branches
editThe Rochester Public Library operates ten neighborhood branch libraries throughout the city:[1]
| Branch | Address | Neighborhood | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnett Branch | 310 Arnett Boulevard | 19th Ward | Opened 1923 |
| Charlotte Branch | 3557 Lake Avenue | Charlotte | |
| Frederick Douglass Community Library | 971 South Avenue | South Wedge | Renamed in 2016; located near the site of the Frederick Douglass family home |
| Lincoln Branch | 851 Joseph Avenue | North Winton Village | Houses the only Toy Library in Monroe County |
| Lyell Branch | 956 Lyell Avenue | Lyell-Otis | |
| Maplewood Community Library | 1111 Dewey Avenue | Maplewood | |
| Monroe Branch | 809 Monroe Avenue | Park Avenue | |
| Phillis Wheatley Community Library | 33 Dr. Samuel McCree Way | Cornhill | Opened 1971; named for poet Phillis Wheatley |
| Sully Branch | 530 Webster Avenue | North Clinton | |
| Winton Branch | 611 Winton Road North | North Winton Village |
Governance
editThe Rochester Public Library is governed by an eleven-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Mayor with approval of the City Council. Trustees serve five-year terms. One seat is reserved for a trustee from the Monroe County Library System Board, and one seat for a representative from the Reynolds Library Board.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 "Library". City of Rochester. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "Monroe County Library System". Monroe County Library System. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "The Rundel Memorial Building, Home to the Rochester Public Library". Monroe County Library System. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Project Spotlight - Rochester Public Library". Edge Architecture. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ Penale, Adam (October 9, 2024). "Greece, Rochester library renovation projects receive $1.5M in funding". Spectrum News 1. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ Sciarrino, Hélène (May 18, 2021). "Foodlink opens Community Cafe inside the Central Library". WXXI News. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ Fisher, Joey (November 9, 2021). "Using food to create community". Rochester Beacon. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- 1 2 "Rochester Public Library". Google Arts & Culture. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ "Rochester History". Rochester Public Library. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
- ↑ Dawson, Evan; Mack, Megan (February 5, 2024). "Previewing the Rochester Public Library's new Archive of Black History & Culture". WXXI News. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
External links
edit- Official website
- Rochester Public Library at New York Heritage