James V. Brown Library

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Contact Information
Address: 19 East Fourth Street, Williamsport, PA 17701 Telephone: 570-326-0536 Hours of Operation: Weekdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m to 2 p.m, Sunday Closed Email: Contact form (scroll to bottom of webpage) Website Facebook

Description of Collections
The collection, begun as a concerted reference services effort in the early 1950s, contains a variety of materials in a wide variety of formats including newspaper clippings, magazines, pamphlets, photographs, books and bound volumes, public records, business documentation, genealogies, and personal family histories. Strengths of the collection include business documentation, photographs, genealogical resources, and biographical materials.

Due to deterioration of some materials in the collection, the James V. Brown Library makes many materials available online. Over 1500 volumes are available for public use any time the Library is open. Other materials that are housed in library storage may be accessed at the discretion of select staff members when inquiries are made in advance.

Online Resources

Local Newspaper Archives - Public Database: Accessible from anywhere in the world and contains all public domain content (everything published through December 31, 1922) and some copyrighted content.

Local Newspaper Archives - Internal Database: Allows access to all content, including copyrighted content and newspapers published from 1923 onward, but can only be accessed over the Library’s IP address – inside the Library.

Lycoming County Digital Photo Archive: Over two thousand (2,000) local historical photographs, drawings and images of old Lycoming County, PA. can be found here. Images are shown in a small version for browsing or as a full size image for detail.

Volumes

Books and other volumes that are available for public use are searchable in the Library catalog. Only items assigned to the James V. Brown Library are available to use onsite. This collection includes a variety of resources including but not limited to:


 * Boyd’s City Directories
 * Pennsylvania Censuses and Local County censuses
 * Yearbooks, Local High School
 * School Directories, Annual Reports, and Histories
 * County Annual Reports, Budgets, and Planning Documents
 * County Ordnances and Laws
 * Geological Resources Reports and Maps
 * JVB Annual Reports
 * Biographies of Significant Residents
 * Books related to Williamsport and Lycoming County History
 * Books written by Williamsport and Lycoming County residents
 * Church Directories and Histories
 * Williamsport and Lycoming County histories
 * Genealogies and Family Histories
 * Business/Corporate Annual Reports and Planning Documents
 * Scrapbooks
 * Cemetery Registries and Records
 * Journal Collections, i.e. Now and Then or Journal of Lycoming County Historical
 * Society
 * Military Histories dating back to the Revolutionary War
 * Township Histories

Research Services
The James V. Brown Library offers paid research services for patrons who seek information from this collection, but who cannot visit in person. To review fees or submit an inquiry, visit the Library's genealogy page and submit a request using the web form at the bottom of the page.

History
The James V. Brown Library opened in June 1907 and was a bequest to the city from lumber baron and philanthropist James VanDuzee Brown who died on December 8, 1904, at age 78. Already a widower with no children, Brown had dreamed for years of giving Williamsport a free, public library. The idea for the Library was suggested by his late wife, Carile Brown.

In his will James V. Brown bequeathed $400,000 to the city of Williamsport, and stipulated that $150,000 be used to erect and endow a public library at the corner of Fourth and State Streets for the use of the people of Williamsport and nearby communities.

His wishes also included how the Library should be governed, a plan that is still followed today. Management of the Library would be under the control of a nine-member board of trustees consisting of: the Mayor of Williamsport; the Rector of Christ Episcopal Church (where Brown was a member), the Superintendent of Williamsport Schools, a representative of Williamsport City Council, and five other representatives of Williamsport or nearby vicinity.

Learn more about the James V. Brown Library's history.

Tips for Your Visit

 * Consider sending library staff an email in advance of your visit so that they can help you make the best use of your time.
 * If you plan to make a special trip to visit the Library, be sure to call or email to confirm that there are no scheduled closures when you plan to visit. In case of inclement weather, the Library will post closings on its website and social media pages.
 * For information about parking, visit the Williamsport Parking Authority website.
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