VT HCR124

Vermont General Assembly congratulates Bennington Free Library on its 160th anniversary, founded June 23, 1865, when Trenor W. Park and Seth B. Hunt donated a Main Street property and 1,800 books to five original trustees

Library relocated within its building in 1892, then constructed a new Georgian-style building with a Tiffany glass solar system skylight in 1936; the two buildings were connected approximately 50 years later

Digital transition occurred in 2005; library joined a 25-library consortium with a major software upgrade in 2014

Late fines abolished in 2020 and membership fees eliminated in 2024 to remove borrowing barriers

Current collection includes 55,000 items (books, periodicals, DVDs, snowshoes, telescope, museum passes) with services including homebound delivery, public computers, and interlibrary loans under 23rd librarian Wendy M. Sharkey