The Adamstown Area Library traces its origins to 1945, when it was established by the Adamstown Woman’s Club, said by residents to have books been borrowed out of a chicken coop. Mrs. Sweitzer, owner of the property as of 2002, declared that although there was a coop on the property at one time, the library was held in a small shed with an initial collection of roughly 100 books.
Due to increased patronage, in 1956 the library relocated to a 400‑square‑foot room in the basement of the Adamstown YMCA.
By 1965 the YMCA recommended that the library transition to the lower level of the building
By 1988, continued population growth and rising demand for library services made it clear to the Woman’s Club that dedicated staffing was necessary, leading to the hiring of the library’s first employee. In February 1990, the Club created the Friends of the Adamstown Library to help support the library through fundraising efforts.
The Friends of the Library group was established in 1989 and call to relocate once more was acquired. It was at this time that the Adamstown Library became part of the Lancaster County System.
In 1990 part of the Adamstown Wertz Garage property welcomed the library while sharing space with the Borough Hall.
A major transition followed in 1995 with a Board of Trustees to provide fiduciary oversight and ensure that ownership and governance rested with the Board and the local boroughs and townships the library serves.
Today, the library operates from the once Adamstown VFW on Main Street, which was purchased in 2016 and renovated to meet modern needs re-opening in 2020.
