At Town Meeting on April 12, 1976, the residents of Rochester voted unanimously to accept “a proposed deed of gift from Dorothy B. Plumb in memory of her late husband Joseph H. Plumb conveying to the Town for the use of Rochester Free Public Library also parcel of land at Rochester Common” (Article 22, Town of Rochester Annual Report 1976, page 13). The following day, the Board of Selectmen sent a letter to Mrs. Plumb at her home on Mendell Road with a message of thanks, a copy of which we have in our archives at Plumb Library: “Dear Mrs. Plumb: The members of the Board of Selectmen wish to take this opportunity to express for themselves, personally, and for all the people of our community, their extreme gratitude and thanks for the magnificent gift to the Town of the Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library. The joy of using this extraordinary facility will be shared by young and old alike, and generations yet to come will reap the benefits of your thoughtful generosity.”
Fifty years later, the Joseph H. Plumb Memorial Library continues to be a cherished local institution here in the center of Town. We are excited to kick off our 50th anniversary celebrations with a special limited edition library card featuring a drawing of Plumb Library on the front! If you already have a card, you can trade it in for a new card at the front desk for no charge. Please note we cannot distribute or sell cards as souvenirs. Each card must be entered into our system as an active library card. If you’ve never gotten a library card or lost yours, now is the time to come pick one up and learn about all the great things you can do with a library card! You can borrow books, movies, a telescope, hotspots, museum and zoo passes, listen to audiobooks online, and much more. While you’re here, grab a copy of this month’s events calendar and keep an eye out for our upcoming Summer Reading Program and more 50th anniversary events.