History of Brown Memorial Library
The Brown Memorial Library honors James S. Brown, a Manchester painter who married Carrie Holt of Bradford, and in 1916 left $2,000 dollars to the town for construction of a library building to be named "Brown Memorial Library". After John E. French offered to match town funding, the original brick building was erected in 1932 on the site of the old Presby Hotel. In 1999, the library was renovated and enlarged to the building you see today. |
Books The collection contains over 12,000 books for adults, young adults and children. Magazines Many magazine titles are regularly available covering a broad range of interests including gardening, current events, science and literature. Newspapers The Bradford Bridge The InterTown Record Sunday New York Times Large Print Books In addition to our own collection of large print books, we are able to borrow titles through inter-library loan. Audio Books, E-Books, Videos Audio books and e-books are available to download for free through the New Hampshire Downloadable Books Consortium (https://nh.overdrive.com/). Come in to the library to get your access number. Reference Collection General reference books are found in our non-fiction collection. Please feel free to ask a librarian for assistance, or e-mail the library at bmlbradford@gmail.com with any reference question you have. The following collections do not circulate and are available for use in the library: Town reports School district reports Some New Hampshire history resources Public Use Computers Three public computers offer free internet access, plus word processing, printing for 10c per page (25c for color), and lots more. Children under 18 must have parent’s permission to use the internet. Permission forms are available at the circulation desk. Bradford Area News and Events Bulletin boards located in the foyer provide space for announcements of local and regional news and events. Nonprofit announcements are welcome. Current issues of The Bradford Bridge are available at the desk. Back issues are on file for in-library use. | The Library sponsors many educational and entertainment programs open to the Bradford community. Interlibrary Loan Interlibrary loan connects with almost all New Hampshire public libraries, many New Hampshire university libraries, and public libraries throughout the United States. We can even borrow books from the Library of Congress (for in-library use only). If you need a book, magazine article, audio book, video or other information that can’t be found in Brown Memorial Library, our staff can usually obtain it for you from another library, free of charge. Copier Our copier makes excellent 8 ½ -11″ or 14″ (legal-length) copies, same size, reduced or enlarged. The cost is 10c per copy. Fax Machine We have an outgoing fax machine for those that need it. (.50 cents per copy) Scanner The library has a scanner connected to one of our public computers. Art Displays The Bradford Art Group sponsors art exhibits at the library. Featured are Bradford area artists working in a wide variety of mediums. Programs Programs include monthly chess, a book discussion group for adults, weekly story times and summer reading program for children, plus a variety of other educational and informational programs held throughout the year. Trustee Meetings The Brown Memorial Library Board of Trustees meets the first Wednesday of every month at the library at 6:30 pm. The public is always welcome to attend. Friends of the Library The Friends of Brown Memorial Library is a nonprofit group of your friends and neighbors dedicated to supporting and enriching the services and facilities of Brown Memorial Library. Membership information is available at the library. Barrier Free Access Brown Memorial Library provides lift service to anyone unable to use the stairs. |