HISTORY OF THE DAVID M. HUNT LIBRARY
Since its founding in 1891, the David M. Hunt Library has amply fulfilled the vision set by its founders, Mr. Hunt’s sisters Wealthy Ann and Catherine E. Hunt. These earliest and key benefactors had a vision: “that it be a house of learning fitted to the wants of our youth and the high purpose of promoting the intelligence and welfare of this community.”
For over 125 years the library has been the cultural hub of our community and an educational center. The Hunt’s goal is to advance the welfare of its citizens by fostering a love of books and respect for well-written words, promoting and encouraging literacy and offering a wide selection of books, periodicals, reference services and all forms of media materials to spark and encourage lifelong learning and a hunger for knowledge.
The Hunt Library’s vision is for a community in which all of our full and part-time residents actively use, enjoy and support the Library as an integral part of their lives.
The mission of the D. M. Hunt Library is to provide library resources, services, and programs that help to fulfill the educational, informational, cultural and recreational needs of the community in an atmosphere that is welcoming and friendly.
Throughout its long history the library has presented and promoted many and varied cultural events, such as concerts, musical programs, art shows, plays, guest speaker programs, poetry readings, book discussions, craft instruction, children’s programs and story hours. In 1992 the Board undertook a library renovation and expansion, doubling the Library’s size, to enhance these efforts. The money to support the library’s educational and cultural programs, as well as its annual operating budget, comes from the annual Town grant, fund raising events, direct appeals, endowment earnings, gifts and bequests.
The Friends, founded in 1980, is an exceptionally strong volunteer organization. In 1992 our Friends group was recognized by the State Friends of Connecticut and received the coveted Outstanding Friends Group Award. The Hunt Friends support the Board of Directors in all their fund-raising efforts: countless volunteer hours assisting our librarians, running the monthly book sales and doing whatever needs to be done when called upon. Their fund-raising efforts have a major impact in supporting our annual operating budget.
In 1996 the Hunt Library won the prestigious Award of Excellence for Small Libraries given by the Association of Connecticut Library Boards. In 2009 the Hunt Library received a four star rating in four categories and was selected as one of America’s Star Libraries by the Library Journal, a national publication.
The heart and soul of the library is the warmth and hometown feeling everyone receives upon entering its doors. Our librarians set the friendly tone and make the library a natural gathering place where visitors can browse, research local history, log onto the Internet, chat with their neighbors, read a magazine, do homework, get help with a knitting problem, catch up on Village news, take home free tomatoes or zucchini from an overabundant local garden, curl up with a book or find a sympathetic ear when life gets tough. The David M. Hunt Library has a long and proud tradition of exceptional service to the Town of Falls Village.
