The History of the Library

Let me begin the library’s story like so many other stories have begun: with the words, “Once upon a time.”

Once upon a time, in 1898 a school was built. The school had many rooms, and of course it was home to a library. Many librarians worked at Hamilton until it’s last one retired in 2003. Sadly, the library fell into disrepair after her retirement and the space became a storage area collecting dust, boxes, and random things.

Hamilton’s attendance was low and the school was in danger of being closed. The local school council hired Principal James Gray in the spring of 2009. Mr. Gray had a vision to bring Hamilton back to life and so the process of becoming the community we know today began. 

In the summer of 2009, Mr. Gray started the process of cleaning up the clutter. A group of parents joined the action. Amy Peebles, Leonard & Ruth Rau, Penny Trowbridge, Tracy & Steven Hoffman, and many others invested themselves in the tasks of cleaning, painting, and organizing the library’s space. They wanted students to have a beautiful, functioning library where they could enjoy books and hear stories.

 2009 - Let's Get Painting!

Neighbors in the area heard about the work being done at Hamilton and artist Chrisann Goad added murals to the walls. 

With Amy Peebles leading the Hamilton Action Team (HAT), Kevin Sheridan, Tracy Hoffman, and Ally Lang worked hard to revamp the library. New shelving and books were purchased. Book fairs helped bring in funds to get more books & furniture! During those book fairs, Principal Gray could be found sitting in a chair in the middle of it all reading stories to the students while families shopped.

Principal Gray reading with students at the book fair

Without a librarian on staff at Hamilton, volunteers like Ally Lang & Tracy Hoffman took on the challenge of welcoming classes to the library and taking care of the space. For over a decade, the Hoffman-Lang duo lead a vast and diverse team of parents in caring for the library. During their first year, the library welcomed students in Kindergarten through 4^th grade. Upper grade classes would gradually be added to the schedule, and eventually the library welcomed every student at Hamilton from Pre-K through 8^th grade.

When Dr. Hoffman’s and Ms. Lang’s children graduated and departed Hamilton, the two library volunteers had shared hundreds if not thousands of stories with students. They had shelved thousands upon thousands of books and spent countless hours at Hamilton. In 2017 Principal James Gray renamed the library at Hamilton in their honor: “The Hoffman-Lang Library.”

 Library Team 2018 - Dr. Hoffman, Ms. Mouse, Ms. Lang, and Mrs. Sanders

Throughout the years, many parent volunteers have helped in many ways, both small and large.

Some volunteers have come to help with classes and read stories. Other volunteers, like Erin Sanders, Lindsey Bonham, and many other before them chose to invest their time in the library. These volunteers wanted the library to be able to welcome classes each week. They wanted the library’s collection of books to grow, be organized, and function for every person who come through Hamilton's doors. Every volunteer has wanted, above all else, to share the love of reading and stories.

Mrs. Erin Sanders 

Mrs. Sanders has been part of the Hamilton community since fall of 2012 and has been volunteering in the library since 2014. She started by coming to help shelve books between classes. Then, as her children grew older, she found she had more free time and was able to dedicate herself to helping in the library several days week. Dr. Hoffman and Mrs. Lang recognized Mrs. Sanders as one of the people who would be able to take care of the library once their time at Hamilton was done. They taught her the ins and outs of what is needed to run the library. Plans were made. Time passed by. And then life threw a curveball in form of a pandemic.

In 2020, many key library volunteers moved or had students graduate out of Hamilton. When the school reopened in the spring of 2021, COVID-19 guidelines limited volunteers and the responsibilities of the library fell to just Mrs. Sanders. What was once a group of parents sharing the responsibilities and joys of the library, became just one volunteer visiting classrooms with a cart or a bin of books.

Time moved along and finally more parent volunteers were allowed back in the building! The library team needed to be rebuilt from scratch, with Mrs. Sanders still in the lead. Many volunteers would come for an hour to help with a class (or two). A few parents recognized the need for more dedicated library volunteers; people who could work on projects and take care of the collection. A few of them have become Mrs. Sanders cohorts in the library, volunteers like Mrs. Lindsey Bonham.

 Miss Lindsey, Mrs. Sanders, & Dr. Hoffman (future - present - past)

Over the past couple of years, our team of parent volunteers have stepped up to help with larger projects like reorganizing and revamping the collection to better suit the needs of the Hamilton community. What was once just a collection of Fiction Chapter Books is now organized by age levels. Our Non-Fiction collection was reorganized in a way that makes it easier to find books on a plethora of subjects. The Picture Book collection was cleaned & sorted. Non-circulating books were removed and donated. This project cleared enough space on the shelves that we were able to add a dedicated area for Books in Spanish (Libros en Español).

The Hamilton Action Team (HAT) has continued to be our library’s champion: asking for volunteers, continuing to set aside funds for books and library materials, hosting book fairs, and sharing the joy of the library with potential families on tours!

Through money earned by hosting book fairs, we are able to get new books for the library and for classrooms! We use the book fair funds to purchase carts, shelves, rugs, a book return bin for the hallway, and so much more!

Since 2009, the library has been a safe, quiet space for anyone and everyone who visits. Hundreds of volunteers have made this space what it is today and we can’t wait to see what the future holds! We are so grateful to be a community that values the joy of reading and the power of a story!