Camden Public Library History :
An ad in the local Advance Journal was the first step in creating a lending library in Camden. On December 6, 1890, Mrs. W.J. Frisbee led the founding meeting attended by forty women. Mrs. Elizabeth Pike was elected the first president with annual dues being set at one dollar. The first thirteen books were donated by Mrs. Frisbee. Within eight months, a total of 281 volumes were on the shelves and ready for loan. The library opened to the public in a building located on the corner of Main and South Park Streets.
The library relocated in 1894 and two years later took upa forty-year residence in the Town Hall. In 1912, the Library Association bought the site of the present structure. The main building was opened to the public on January 3, 1938 and cost $15,000 to build. The Arlene E. Phelps Memorial Wing was added in 1979.
Recently, the library has been receiving annual grants from Camden benefactor Mrs. Virginia Tuthill. With these grants, the library has added thousands of books and installed a computer network for its patrons. Mrs. Tuthill is also the leading benefactor of the new wing that will be called the Tuthill Wing in her honor.
The library now houses over 20,000 volumes and circulates 45,000 works each year. Interlibrary loans provide patrons with access to the holdings of 46 other libraries in the Mid-York Library District.
