Parent reading a book to her child at the new Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Library

Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Branch Library

Library Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 9 AM – 5 PM
Tuesday, Thursday: 1 PM – 5 PM
Saturday: Event days only (10 AM – 2 PM)
Sunday: Closed

Free parking for the Family Partnership Center:

Family Partnership Parking as of August 13 2025

Happenings at Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Branch Library:

Patriots of Color

On view until November 30

A mini-exhibit featuring replicas from the Museum of the American Revolution bearing the names of Black soldiers who served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Highlights include muster rolls, pay vouchers, enlistment papers, and discharge forms. Additionally, the exhibit includes replicas about Phillis Wheatley, the first published African-American woman author.

Musician B.E. Farrow

Music of B.E. Farrow

Saturday, October 25, 2:00pm–3:00pm
Registration required; click here. 
B.E. Farrow is an educator, songwriter, independent researcher, and musician travelin’ with the blues of his own life. From what he finds on his archival missions, Farrow reshapes and reflects America’s musical history through sharing stories, creative musical expression, and inclusive dialog. He plays the country blues with a future/past intuition that you can catch in the present if you come listen.

Colonial Period Silhouette Workshop

Monday, October 27, 5:30pm–7:00pm
Registration required; click here.
During the Colonial period, cut paper portraits were an affordable way to obtain a picture of you or your loved one. In this workshop, we will look at artists and examples of works from the period and beyond, and then create our own using modern technology and scissors. Ages 16 and up. Registration required.
Illustration of a happy pumpkin

Halloween at Family Partnership Center

Friday, October 31, 3:00pm–5:00pm
No registration required.

Please stop by SPD on the second floor of the Family Partnership Center for big fun on Halloween. There will be treats, games, and activities for the whole family to enjoy. Bring the family and trick or treat with us from 3-5 pm. Costumes encouraged! No registration required.

Computer Lab

Tuesday, November 4, and Tuesday, December 2, 1:30pm–3:30pm

Receive individualized help addressing your computer-based needs. Specific tasks staff can help with include learning basic computer skills, creating email accounts, performing job searches, filling out job applications, formatting resumes, filing for unemployment, and creating and editing Microsoft Office documents. No registration required.

About Sadie Peterson Delaney African Roots Branch Library:

The Family Partnership Center building was formerly Poughkeepsie High School and later Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School. The library occupies the same space that housed the schools’ libraries. The branch will have a particular focus on early literacy as an important developmental step for children. The original African Roots Library collection that occupied this space is curated through a partnership between the Library Action Committee and the Poughkeepsie Public Library District.

The branch is named in honor of Sadie Peterson Delaney, who attended Poughkeepsie High School and was active in the Smith Metropolitan AME Zion Church. She went on to serve as Chief Librarian at the Veterans Administration Hospital Library in Tuskegee, Alabama, where her work in Bibliotherapy received international attention.

Learn more about Sadie Peterson Delaney via our Local History Blog or by visiting Dutchess County Historical Society‘s recording program about Sadie P. Delaney.

Sadie Peterson Delaney at her desk with a sign that reads "Books break the tedious hospital hours and minimize illness". Image courtesy of Tuskegee University Archives