On April 18, 1934, 15 young men and 10 young women met at the firemen's hall to organize efforts toward such community projects as a public library. After twice attempting to receive public funding for the library only to be turned down, in October 1936, the committee decided to open a library with private subscriptions in one small room in a building on Quaker Road and the Barker Free Library was born. By 1938 the library was incorporated. In 1969 the Library Board of Trustees decided that the library needed larger quarters, and looked at the possibility of obtaining the old New York Central Railroad station on Main Street. The station, closed since 1959, had reverted to the Village of Barker and had been used for equipment storage. The Village gave its consent, and in the fall of 1969 members of the community pitched in and renovation started. Soon the old depot was transformed into a library. In the past decade the library has seen continued growth. In 1990, a new addition was built to house the expanding collection and in the spring of 2001 a new addition for a children's room was constructed.
