Mission

The mission of the Hagerstown – Jefferson Township Library is to assemble, maintain, and facilitate the use of an organized collection of materials and provide services which may promote the creation and communication of ideas as well as the development of an engaged and enlightened citizenry.

History

In 1928, Charlie and Leora Teetor and their family donated the money to build and furnish a permanent site for a public library to serve the people of Jefferson Township in Wayne County. This gift was given to commemorate the first public library in Hagerstown established in 1914 by the Progressive Club. This first portion of the permanent library included a main reading room and Indiana history room on 1^st level, and a children’s room in the basement.

In 1989, the Library Board of Trustees determined that the existing building no longer was large enough to serve the needs of Hagerstown and Jefferson Township. At this time, they voted to undertake a capital building project that more than tripled the size of the Library and added a new main entrance. The library now boasted three large and distinct but adjacent rooms that could be configured as needed.

Presently, the Hagerstown Library consists of the Teetor Room which houses the teen and general nonfiction collections, the Reading Room where most of the adult materials (except for general nonfiction) and periodicals reside, and the large children’s room. During the period of time in the spring of 2020 that the Hagerstown Library was closed to the public, we used that time to have the interior of the library repainted. Since then we have added a new drive-up drop box in the alley behind the library and new furniture. We are using digital collections to expand the borrowing experience to the mobile devices of our patrons, taking programs to the schools and organizations, and preserve local history.