by Shannon Butler We all know the importance of having literary skills. Being able to read for both knowledge and pleasure is essential in our everyday lives. Sometimes, having a good novel to read is the greatest tool for opening our minds and imaginations, and escaping from the real world for a while. Libraries are the best places to go to satisfy our need for books, especially in tough times. In 1918, nobody understood the need for reading better than the head librarian for the City of Poughkeepsie, John Sickley. Sickley was originally born in New Jersey in 1850 and was the great-grandson of John Bradbury, a famous English botanist and travel writer. By 1870, Sickley and his mother had moved to Poughkeepsie. He graduated from Poughkeepsie High School in 1873 as valedictorian and went on to study law under Judge Nelson. Within a few years, he was admitted to the bar, but it soon became clear that he preferred the work of a librarian more than the work of the law. So in January of 1884, Sickley was appointed the librarian of what was essentially a fairly new collection. It was only a few years before, in 1881, when the [...]

by Shannon Butler There is little doubt that the Adriance Memorial Library is a fabulous addition to the architectural landscape of the City of Poughkeepsie. Though this is not the first location of Poughkeepsie’s library. In fact, the library seemed to move around from place to place in its early days of existence without a home of its own. There appears to have been a library for public use in this area going back to the late 18th century when it was part of a local school. Sometime in the late 1830s, the library went from the Lancaster School which was located on Church Street to S. H. Bogardus’ harness store at 324 Main Street (that’s convenient, you could get a new harness for the farm and check out a book on plowing techniques!). It stands to reason that as the number of volumes grew, so did the need for space. After the act in 1843 which established the Board of Education and included the overseeing of libraries, our library moved again to a location near the back of the First Reformed Church on Union Street. Its next stop was the Court house building in 1862 where it remained for about [...]