A Brief History of the Library

The Cotuit Library was founded by the Cotuit Lyceum Society. Its first permanent home was in the present entrance room, a former school house built in 1820 and acquired for the library in 1894. Through the years the following expansions have allowed the collection to grow: the Guy Lowell addition in 1901, the Richard Gallagher addition in 1963, and the Kirkman Extension (Phillip Minervino, Architect) in 1977.

The library is owned and managed by the Cotuit Library Association with contributions from its members, special fundraising, and the Town of Barnstable. We are a member of the Cape Libraries Automated Materials Sharing (CLAMS) network and the Cape and Islands Inter-Library Association.

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Honor Roll of Past Librarians

Caroline Dechert
Barbara Burrow
Ida May Anderson
Olivia Phinney
Alice Handy
Esther Dottridge
Grace Dottridge
Marian Pryne
Beaulah Borden
Hazel Alexander
Clara Bragg
Elizabeth Thurston
Alice Howard
Effie Burlingame
Adeline Bearse
Belle Chatfield
Maud Chatfield

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