When the building we know as Sturgis Library was still a farmhouse, the teenaged William Sturgis, who had been born in the house, left it forever. He sailed around the world four times, and then lived in Boston for years. But not long before he died in 1863, he bought back, for only one purpose, the building his mother had sold long before. In the middle of the Civil War there was plenty to think, and worry, about, even for a man of 80. Sturgis thought of creating a library in Barnstable.

Libraries occasionally receive public and media attention, usually when the lack of money threatens their existence. If you have read this far in these comments, you do not need me to tell you that dynamic libraries are critical to the present, and to the future, well-being of persons, of communities, of nations. Without libraries, we are in several kinds of  trouble. Sturgis happens to be one of the finest libraries anywhere. That is not just because of the Lothrop Room, which makes Sturgis the oldest building housing a library in the United States. And it is not because of the fascinating Sturgis family legacy or the Kurt Vonnegut connections. It is not just the genealogical resources that draw people from all over the country, not just the myriad programs for children and adults, not just the splendid little “book store,” not just the beyond-exemplary staff service that is so constant that sometime we might take it for granted. You know why Sturgis is Sturgis.

Nearly sixty percent of the funding for Sturgis Library comes from private donations. Sturgis continues to serve Barnstable, the Cape, and beyond after more than 150 years.

Every dollar, every volunteer hour, you give to Sturgis—every visit you make to Sturgis—buttresses this Library.  This place is more like a family, or a home, than a building filled with books. But you know that.

Greg Williams, President, Board of Trustees

Sturgis Library is an independent nonprofit public library and research archive, not a Town department.  We receive only 40% of our funding from the Town of Barnstable, and must raise 60% of our funds through donations, grants, event proceeds, book shop sales, and other non-municipal sources.

Our donors give to the library in many ways:

• Donations to our annual appeal
• Bequests
• Gifts of stock or securities
• Gifts of vehicles through our vehicle donation program
• Gifts of goods or services to our fundraisers
• Donations of books, jewelry, and household items to our sales
• Donations of family papers or historic materials to our research archives
• Spontaneous donations in our donation boxes
• Memorial and honorary donations
• Gifts of time — volunteering at the Library or at Library events

If you are interested in supporting Sturgis Library, please contact Library Director Lucy Loomis for more information.  You can reach her at 508-362-8448 or via email at sturgislibrary@comcast.net.

Statistical Overview for FY2019

• Number of items in the library’s collection:  74,770
• Materials checked out of the library:  66,429
• Visitors to the library:  57,318
• Attendance at library programs: 7,949

Major Accomplishments & Projects

• Sturgis Library was awarded a number of special grants to enhance library programs and services to the community.
  • Thanks to generous funding through a federal LSTA grant administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, the Library has embarked a partnership with the Sturgis Charter Public School to integrate digital and preservation copies of its archival materials related to the history curriculum.  We received matching funding for this project from The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod.
  • The Kirkman Trust Fund of the Town of Barnstable granted us funds for the purchase of books, ebooks, and technology.
  • The Cobb Trust granted the Library funding for the purchase of library materials for the Summer Reading Program.
  • The Cape Cod Antique Dealer’s Association awarded us a grant to assist with the framing of our collection of Edward Gorey posters and ephemera.
• We established a new Corporate Donor program, where businesses pledge to support the Library for at least 3 years.  You’ll see the framed logos of our business supporters in our foyer.
• In conjunction with the Dennis and Yarmouth Libraries, we completed a project to digitize of the Barnstable Patriot (1830-2017) and Register (1836-2017) newspapers. We are very grateful to the Community Preservation Committees of the towns of Barnstable, Dennis, and Yarmouth for funding this amazing project.  You can search the digitial archive at http://digital.olivesoftware.com/Olive/APA/Sturgis/default.aspx#panel=home
• The Library established a “Library of Things,” which includes creative kits, musical instruments, toys, learning games, and other non-book items to check out.
• We extend our thanks to all who donated to our stone wall project.  We have an eroding hill at the rear of the library, and funding will help to build a retaining wall faced by stone to match the other historic stone walls around the property.
• We completed an update to our 5-year Strategic Long-Range Plan, FY2020 – FY2025.
• The Library provided notary services to dozens of visitors throughout the year.
• We participated in the Cape-wide Hydrangea Festival again this year, featuring  four local gardens.  We are grateful to our dedicated gardeners for opening their grounds for us to enjoy.
• The Library sponsored over 200 programs, exhibits, and events for adults, young adults, and children, including lectures, music and craft programs, art and writing workshops, sales of books, ephemera, music, jewelry, plants and more, a Holiday Tea, Lego Club, storytime, toddler time, and other well-attended programs and events. Together with the six other Barnstable village libraries, the Library participated in the annual collaborative Summer Reading Program.
• We said goodbye to Youth Services Librarian Megan McClelland and Bookkeeper Megan Terrio.  We will be welcoming new Youth Services Librarian Christy Munier and new bookkeeper Polly Brazelton in July and August.
• The Library said goodbye to Board member Fred Schilpp.
• Sturgis Library is grateful to its hardworking staff, Board of Trustees, volunteers, and most of all its library patrons and visitors, who support us throughout the year. The success of Sturgis Library is due to the people who enter its doors – to visit, to relax and read, do research, check out library materials, attend events, or to share a part of themselves with us. Many, many thanks.

Special Support

In addition to the Annual Fund donors listed in the next section of our annual report, Sturgis Library has received support from individuals, businesses, organizations, grantors, and others for a variety of needs throughout FY2018. With the help of these special donors we were able to purchase materials to support the Barnstable Public Schools’ Summer Reading Program, to fund a collaborative newspaper digitization project, to frame Gorey posters and ephemera, to sponsor engaging programs, fund discount museum passes, build a stone wall, and grow the Preservation Fund.  We have also received proceeds from the sale of donated vehicles, and honored family members and loved ones through memorial and honorary donations.  In addition, we have established a new Corporate Donor program in which businesses pledge to support the Library for three years or more and receive recognition on our corporate donor wall.  We also are grateful for employer matching grant funds from a number of our generous donors.

If we inadvertently left you off the list of special donors or spelled your name incorrectly, please accept our apologies, and contact us at sturgislibrary@comcast.net so that we can correct our records. We thank all of our donors and supporters for their generous gifts to Sturgis Library.

FY2019 Special Donors are:

Donors to the FY2019 Annual Fund

The individuals, businesses, and organizations listed below contributed to the Sturgis Library Annual Fund in FY2019, which ran from July 1, 2018 through June 30th, 2019.  Annual fund donations are unrestricted funds which go towards our operating expenses each year.

If we inadvertently left you off the list of Annual Fund donors or spelled your name incorrectly, please accept our apologies, and contact us at sturgislibrary@comcast.net so that we can correct our records. We thank all of our donors and supporters for their generous gifts to Sturgis Library.

Donors are color-coded by giving level.  Donors of $1-$249 are listed in black, $250-$499 are listed in purple, $500-$999 are listed in green, and $1,000 and up are listed in blue.