Town of Adams - Adams Free Library

The Adams Free Library, located on Park Street at McKinley Square, was built in 1897 as a Civil War Memorial. Its cornerstone was laid by President William McKinley, who also placed a time capsule under it, containing items of the day. In 1997, the Town celebrated the centennial of this building with a variety of activities, including celebrations, performances, and tours of the building. The library offers an extensive collection of books, magazines, newspapers, audio books in CD and MP3 formats, free or reduced rate passes to area parks and museums and video cassettes and DVD's. The newspaper collection, stored on microfilm, dates back to 1844. A genealogical collection is used extensively, including the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, the set of Mayflower descendants, and other genealogical information. The library an automated circulation system and is an Online Affiliate Member of the Central/Western Massachusetts Automated Resource Sharing (C/W MARS) System. Much of the Library's collection may be found via the C/W MARS link. At the Library, both adults and children are provided free access to Internet computers. Free wireless service is also available. The library is a member of the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System, which allows for an inter-library loan program through which books and materials not owned by the library may be borrowed from other participating libraries. Annual summer reading club programs are offered for both children and adults, as well as book discussion groups, special programs and events throughout the year for all ages. Preschool story times are also offered periodically throughout the year. The building is fully accessible to the disabled.