The City of Orange Public Library

The Origins of the Library 

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The origins of the Orange Public Library can be traced to 1832, when the Orange Lyceum established the community’s first lending library. This was an informal and very small collection of books housed in a tailor’s shop. It wasn't until 1883 that the Library Association was officially formed, supported by dues, endowments, and donations. The first public reading room was opened in a dedicated structure on Main Street, and given the name the Library Building. Open to the public from Monday through Saturday, the facility held approximately 15,000 volumes, acquired through funds raised by the association. Charles Warburton Brown was appointed as the institution’s first librarian.

Despite efforts to sustain operations through public lectures, the library eventually closed due to insufficient financial support. Over the next fifteen years, the Library Association operated out of various temporary locations, including a building then known as Central Hall and, subsequently, a first-floor room at Military Common. Eventually, the library secured a permanent home at its current location on Main Street and Essex Avenue.

The construction of the current building was funded by Joseph W. Stickler, as a memorial to his late son Dr. Joseph William Stickler. Its cornerstone was laid during the summer of 1900, and the facility officially opened to the public on June 21, 1901. In 1945, the citizens of Orange voted by referendum to financially support a "free public library", and took over the operation of the building as a publicly owned and municipally operated facility. Today, the library has a collection of over 72,000 holdings and has been serving the residents of Orange for over 120 years.