Waterford Public Library Key Dates


May 22, 1923 Incorporation meeting.
March, 1924 Saunders carriage house library set up.
September 1924 First town appropriation to Waterford Public Library.
Nov. 28, 1927 Gift of new building by Mrs. Edward C. Hammond.
Sept. 8, 1928 Formal opening of new library building.
September 1930 Gilead Fund of $250 established by Gilead Community Club.
July, 1931 Endowment Fund established with gift of Edward S. Harkness.
November 1931 WPL hires first paid worker, Miss Ida M. Harwood.
April 1958 WPL hires first full-time professional, Mrs. Miriam B. Bantz.
December 1959 Nelson White arranges purchase of Bingham-Gregor property.
March 14, 1961 WPL moves to rented quarters (old post office).
August 7, 1961 Library Board gives old building to Town.
1964 WPL qualifies for federal grant.
Feb. 25, 1966 New Library building is opened!
April 14, 1967 Library Board turns land, building, books & furnishings over to the Town, while retaining its role as a governing board.
June 1973 RTM approves funds for addition.
October 16 1977 Formal opening of expanded Library.
January 1979 Library circulates first book on automated system. Over the next 15 years the Library will upgrade its system many times as more functionality becomes available.
May 20, 1980 Mrs. L. Edmund Zacher is recognized as “Outstanding Trustee of
July 1, 1981 Library Director Vincent Juliano begins term as President of the 1980” by the Association of Connecticut Library Board. Connecticut Library Association, 1981-1982.
April 6, 1986 New mezzanine is completed & dedicated.
August 1987 Trustee John Merrill is honored as Waterford’s “Citizen of the Year.”
April 1991 Director Vincent Juliano receives the Connecticut Library Association’s award as “Outstanding Librarian of 1991.”
June 16, 1994 Transition from card catalog to automated catalog is completed. Over the next several years, related services are introduced:
e.g., remote dial-in from home computers, the placing of reserves by patrons, printing out listings from terminal screen.
November 1995 Library launches Town of Waterford Web Page through the statewide Public Access Initiative. Within the year, the Library posts its own Web Page.
Spring 1997 Library introduces Internet access to the public in order to expand its reference and research services, and offers introductory classes to interested patrons.
August 1997 Trustee Fred Brucoli is honored as Waterford’s “Citizen of the Year.”
May 1998 The “Partnership Plus” connection to other groups of automated libraries is added to online public access terminals of the online catalog.
August 1998 Assistant Director Judy Liskov is honored as Waterford’s “Employee of the Year”
January 2000 Library Board & staff undertake 21-month strategic planning process.
November 2000 Director V. Juliano is elected to chair the Town Information TechnologyCommittee. He ends his second term in October 2001.
November 2001 Library Board launches Fund Drive to help support book purchases.
March 2002 Library introduces new SIRSI computer system featuring graphic interface, easyaccess via the World Wide Web, and “patron empowerment” functions.