Wayland Free Library

The Wayland Free Reading Room and Library Society, August, 1893

On the seventeenth of August in 1893, a Certificate of Incorporation was filed with the County Clerk for the Wayland Free Reading Room and Library Society. The name of the association, the number of trustees (10), its location in the village and town of Wayland, and its objects and purposes as a free public reading room and circulating library were all specified in the certificate. The signatures on this document included that of Henry P. VanLiew, Sylvester Dodge, W.H. Lawrence, Josephine Lea Fayette, Mrs. A.H. Salter, Bert Poore, and J.A. Morris.

The Library in the New Millennium
The Wayland Free Library is one of 375 association libraries in New York State, established by vote of association members as private corporations, which contract with local governments to provide library services. Our library receives funding by contract with the Wayland-Cohocton Central School district for the collection and appropriation of tax money voted on by taxpayers and operating totally independent from the school, except for cooperative programs and collection development.

The amount generated from this source is $75,000, which is carefully budgeted to cover the cost of 4 part time employees, who work a total of about 62 hours per week. We also employ a full time professional librarian. Four student interns work a combined total of 12 per week. All employees work at minimum wage or a little above, without any benefits.