The Hartwick Free Library opened its doors to the public on May 23, 1943. It opened inside the old Hamilton House with about 700 books. Volunteer librarians helped on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, as well as Saturday evenings. This building was eventually torn down to accommodate the Hartwick Fire Department.
The first picture above shows those in attendance at the dedication of the building: Harry D. Bilderback, Trustee; Dr. H. Claude Hardy; Mrs. Augusta Hollenbeck, Librarian; Dr. Roy Butterfield, Chairman of the Library Board of Trustees; Mrs. Waldo Potter, J. Donald Patterson, and Mrs. Porter Backus (trustees). The second picture shows the library building before the addition was put on.
In June of 1961 Arthur R. Kinney and J.P. Kinney donated the present building to the town for use as a library as a memorial to their parents, Joseph and Isabel (Stanhouse) Kinney. The agreement was that the Town of Hartwick was to accept responsibility of maintaining the building. This is the present building that the library occupies to this day. Mrs. Augusta Hollenbeck was hired as the first librarian, and lived on the second floor of the library building.
In 1962 the Kinney Memorial Library joined the Four County Library System which provides us with consolidated services including electronic resources and interlibrary loans. In 1978, Mrs. Hollenbeck retired and Mrs. Emily Potter became the librarian. She worked until her passing in 1999, when daughter-in-law Barbara Potter was appointed to librarian.
In 1989 an addition was added to the back of the house to allow more space for the library, as well as the Hartwick Historical Society.