Once upon a time, in a little town called Sandisfield in the Berkshire Mountains, a group of people in the year 1807 formed a library association. They established two small libraries because it took half a day to get from New Boston to Montville in those days. One closed in 1837 and the other in 1853. Fast forward to 1907 when the town library was reestablished at the James Merrill Store located at 147 Sandisfield Road. Coincidentally, the current library director makes her home at the former Merrill store and library. That library closed in 1923 and the town established a small library on Route 8. This tiny building housed the library until 1977. In 1975, Flora Rhodes, the Town Clerk, led a fund drive to establish a new, bigger, better library. Land was donated by Angelo and Carol Campetti, grants were awarded, and with hard work and community spirit the Sandisfield Free Public Library was opened in October 1977. That is the story of Sandisfield's Public Library. Today it proudly wears a new paint job (just last year) and a new hat/roof, courtesy of the town Select Board. I invite you to come by and see the place, visit.

Sometimes people have preconceived notions of what is at the library, particularly this one - such as, there are only books for those of us who remember the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show. That it is old, small, and shabby. And musty. Hardly worth a visit, they might guess. Our library may be smaller than some but it is not just a room filled with old books in dusty jackets. There is a selection of historical papers and books on Sandisfield and the surrounding area, how-to books, non-fiction from recent New York Times bestsellers (The Wager and the Ghosts of Honolulu) to classic authors such as David McCullough and Tom Brokaw. The fiction section is kept updated with monthly new selections from both the New York Times Bestsellers list, NPR, and various other book review websites. There are over 3,000 books in this little library ranging from romance to mystery, to the philosophical and the comic. And that's just on the top floor. On the ground floor is "The Children's Area." Here is a cornucopia of books - picture books for the youngest of readers to older readers who enjoy the adventures of Harry Potter, the Babysitter's Club, and the Wimpy Kid Diaries. And it is not just a place to find a book to cozy up with. There are puzzles, Lincoln logs, Brio train sets, and more. Entertainment deluxe, with a back door that leads to the playground for more fun. The library also hosts various artists, musicians, magicians and yes, story tellers throughout the year. We, at the library, invite you to visit YOUR library. Tell us what interests you, what you would like to see at the library!

Latest additions to the library shelves
(adult fiction and non-fiction)

Hidden roots of White Supremacy and the Path to a Shared American Future by Robert P. Jones
The Little Liar by Mitch Albom
Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly
Uhtred's Feast by Bernard Cornwell
4th Wing by Rebecca Yarros
The Ball at Versailles by Danielle Steel
A City on Mars: Can we settle space, should we settle space, and have we really thought this through? by Kelly Weinersmith and Zach Weinersmith
The Girl in the Eagle's Talons by Karin Smirnoff
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Pretty Boys Are Poisonous: Poems by Megan Fox
Robert B. Parker's Broken Trust by Mike Lupica
So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Young Adult/Older Children

Diary of a Wimpy Kid No Brainer by Jeff Kinney
Cat Kid Comic Club #5: Influencers by Dav Pilkey
Three by Lauren Tarshis:
I Survived the American Revolution, 1776
I Survived the Great Alaska Earthquake, 1964
I Survived the Wellington Avalanche, 1910

Children's Books

The Big Cheese by John Jory
Bunny with a Big Heart by Zoe Waring

Librarian's Book Review

Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson. I must confess I enjoy reading Erik Larson's books. And this book gets 5 stars from me. The book is the true story of the devastating hurricane of September 8, 1900, that destroyed the growing city of Galveston, Texas, and of Isaac Cline, the resident meteorologist for the U.S. Weather Bureau who failed to grasp the true nature of the deep-sea swells and peculiar winds that greeted the city that morning. Hours later, Galveston (a city in competition to be bigger and better than Houston) found itself submerged in a monster hurricane that completely destroyed the town and killed over six thousand people in what remains the greatest natural disaster in American history. Larson writes of one man's heroic struggle and fatal miscalculation in the face of a storm of unimaginable magnitude, the devastation and personal tragedy faced by Galveston's residents. Isaac's Storm is a riveting story of what can happen when human arrogance meets the great uncontrollable force of nature.

Museum Passes

Don't forget the Library has passes to following:
The Clark
The Springfield Museums (all Five!)
Hancock Shaker Village
Mass Moca
Herman Melville Museum and Home
Bidwell House
Ventfort Hall

Mon. and Tue. 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Wednesday Evening - 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Saturday - 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Closed Thursday, Friday and Sunday

Phone: (413) 258-4966
email: sandisfieldlibrary@gmail.com
Our new website: sandisfieldlibrary.org