Berne Public Library

The Town of Berne Free Library was charted in 1962. It was first located in a small building at the edge of Fox Creek that has once been the Floretha Shop. Later it became the Town Hall and polling place. It moved to present Town Hall in 1969. The named changed to Town of Berne Public Library sometime in the 1980’s.

The Berne Public Library is part of the Upper Hudson Library System, which serves Albany and Rensselaer counties. It is a free library which, unlike a public library, does not have the power to tax.

The town of Berne supports the library. In 2008, it was budgeted $27,500. The town of Knox, which has no library of its own, uses the Berne library and paid Berne $800 that year for services. There are three paid employees.

The library has outgrown its space. This past year the town reached agreement with the Senior Citizens to take over their hall and enlarge it to house both the library and the Senior Citizens.