The Nesmith Library collection was created with the assistance of Col. Thomas Nesmith and was
housed in the Town Hall until 1899 when the current field stone building was built by George
W. Armstrong.
See a digitized form of the
Dedication Exercises of Armstrong Building from 1899 (it does take
some time to download).
Here we see a photo of the Reading Room in the Armstrong Building (later used as the Library
Reference Room) in its former glory.
In 1978-1980 an addition was added to the building primarily to house the Children's Collection
and activities.
By 1997 the Nesmith Library was at bursting capacity with over 34,000 items in its collection,
high circulation rate, an active
Children's Room, and busy children and adult researchers.
Recreational readers enjoyed our selection of fiction and periodicals despite the cramped
conditions. Adult programming became limited as materials filled virtually all available space in the Children's Room. The staff did its best to assist patrons with the library's Resources and Services.
Windham residents will fondly remember the cozy days when the Nesmith Library was housed in
the Armstrong Memorial Building!
"The mission of the Nesmith Library is to provide access to informational, educational,
cultural, and recreational library materials and services in a variety of formats and
technologies; to be responsive to the public library needs of the community; and to
support the principle of intellectual freedom as a foundation of a free society." The staff
and
resources of the Nesmith Library continued to fulfill this mission statement with the opening
of the new library building on August 28, 1997.
The building program was approved at the 1996 Town Meeting after many years of planning.
The library staff looks forward to seeing you!
![[IMAGE:The Reading Room]](../images/room.gif)
![[IMAGE:The Armstrong
Building
, the former Nesmith Library]](../images/libraryphoto.JPG)
