The Salem Bancroft Public Library is pleased to announce that the New York
State Education Department approved its Absolute Charter application at the
Board of Regents meeting on February 8th. The library was required to apply for a
new absolute charter when the Village of Salem was dissolved a few years ago.
The Library then began operating as a Town Library with a provisional charter.
Our Board President, Ed Donoghue, would like to thank the Board members for
their perseverance and the many hours of hard work that went into meeting the
requirements in order to obtain the Absolute Charter.

The Bancroft Public Library will receive sealed Bids for Accessibility Renovation to be performed at Bancroft Public Library, Salem, New York.

Bids will be received until 6:00 P.M. on April 6, 2021 at the Bancroft Public Library, 181 South Main Street, Salem, New York, (518)-854-9249. Sealed bids will be opened and read aloud at the regular meeting of the Bancroft Public Library Board of Trustees meeting, April 6, 2020 at 6:30 PM, at the Bancroft Public Library. Bids received after this time will not be accepted. The Owner reserves the right to waive irregularities and to reject all Bids.

Contract Documents may be obtained after March 1, 2021 from John G. Waite Associates, Architects PLLC,384 Broadway, Albany, NY (518) 449-5440 in accordance with the Instructions to Bidders.

No bidder may withdraw his bid within 45 days after the actual date of the opening thereof.

The restoration work on Bancroft Public Library is funded in part by a grant from The New York State Education Department, State Aid for Library Construction.

Attention of Bidders is particularly called to the requirements of the State Wage Rate Schedule, the Davis-Bacon Act, and to all other applicable Federal, State, and local requirements including affirmative action requirements

Please click –> HERE <– for a downloadable/printable copy of this legal notice.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Bancroft Public Library Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 6:30 PM.

These meetings will be held in Proudfit Hall following social distancing guidelines. Members of the public should please email slm-director@sals.edu if they would like a link to attend virtually. If you have an issue you would like addressed at the meeting, but are not able to attend, please email any board member.

Previous meeting minutes and agendas are available by clicking the Board of Trustees link under the “About Us” category in the menu bar at the top of this page.

The Board of Trustees is planning a special meeting on Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at 6:30 PM.

This meeting will be held in Proudfit Hall following social distancing guidelines. Members of the public should please email slm-director@sals.edu if they would like a link to attend virtually. 

The meeting’s agenda includes:

1. Accessibility Renovations
2. Any other business that comes before the board

Previous meeting minutes and agendas are available by clicking the Board of Trustees link under the “About Us” category in the menu bar at the top of this page.

There will be a meeting of the Courtyard Committee on Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 6:30 pm. If you’d like a link to attend virtually, please contact slm-director@sals.edu.

The Board of Trustees for the Bancroft Public Library in Salem met on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 for their annual meeting, and their regular monthly meeting for January.  At this meeting, officers were elected for the coming year. Ed Donoghue was elected Board President, Kim Erbe was elected to the Vice President position, and Rebecca Brown was voted in as Secretary and Financial Officer. Library Board Liaisons with the Salem Town Board are Kim Erbe and Rebecca Brown. 

It’s been a busy year for the library. Many needed improvements were completed in 2020 and there are more improvements planned for this year. New heating and cooling for the library included installation of new boilers, air conditioning in the library, and brand new air conditioning in Proudfit Hall. Energy efficient LED lighting is another new addition to the library. Other good news is after a very long process, we have received our Certificate of Registration for the Bancroft Public Library. This is something that had to be done after the dissolution of the village. During the year we did our best to find ways to help our patrons interact with the library. In the fall we had our first ever Story Walk. Kids started at the library and walked throughout town and stopped at the windows of local businesses in town to read the book “Spookley the Square Pumpkin.” In December the library’s windows were filled with a great “I, Spy” activity where kids and adults could find different items in the windows of the library.

We have a lot to look forward to at the library this year. Through a library construction grant, plans are underway to update parts of the building to better our ADA compliance. Work on this should begin this spring. A committee has been formed to re-do our courtyard outside space behind the library. When completed, this will be a great space for our patrons to use during good weather. We will soon receive new computers for patron use in the library. Many thanks to the Friends of the Bancroft Library for purchasing the computers for the library.

Last year was a challenging year due to COVID and we truly appreciate the cooperation, patience and flexibility of our patrons and our community.

The library board meets the first Tuesday of the Monday at 6:30 p.m. in Proudfit Hall. Check the website before any meetings to see if there are any changes.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Bancroft Public Library Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 6:30 PM.

These meetings will be held in Proudfit Hall following social distancing guidelines. Members of the public should please email slm-director@sals.edu if they would like a link to attend virtually. If you have an issue you would like addressed at the meeting, but are not able to attend, please email any board member.

Previous meeting minutes and agendas are available by clicking the Board of Trustees link under the “About Us” category in the menu bar at the top of this page.

The Board of Trustees is planning a special meeting on Thursday, December 10, 2020 at 6:30 PM.

This meeting will be held in Proudfit Hall following social distancing guidelines. Members of the public should please email slm-director@sals.edu if they would like a link to attend virtually. 

The meeting’s agenda includes:

1. Library Operations
2. Absolute Charter
3. Any other business that comes before the board

Previous meeting minutes and agendas are available by clicking the Board of Trustees link under the “About Us” category in the menu bar at the top of this page.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Bancroft Public Library Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, January 5, 2021 at 6:30 PM.

This meeting will be held virtually.  Members of the public should please email slm-director@sals.edu if they would like a link to attend. If you have an issue you would like addressed at the meeting, but are not able to attend, please email any board member.

Previous meeting minutes and agendas are available by clicking the Board of Trustees link under the “About Us” category in the menu bar at the top of this page.

The next regular monthly meeting of the Bancroft Public Library Board of Trustees is scheduled for Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at 6:30 PM.

These meetings will be held in Proudfit Hall following social distancing guidelines. Members of the public should please email slm-director@sals.edu if they would like a link to attend virtually. If you have an issue you would like addressed at the meeting, but are not able to attend, please email any board member.

Previous meeting minutes and agendas are available by clicking the Board of Trustees link under the “About Us” category in the menu bar at the top of this page.