Darby Library Company

The Darby Library is undergoing a complete renovation - with construction now in progress on our elevator tower!  We are still raising money to renovate our interior and integrate both floors into a beautiful new space, worthy of our history.  This will include a separate area for our young readers, including an early childhood learning center.  Your help is vital!

The Darby Free Library is the oldest public library in the country in continuous operation. We are a private non-profit serving the public, with little public funding. We serve a vulnerable population for whom the library is a lifeline - providing computer access, literacy, books, and a much needed communal public space.

The library was founded by Darby Quaker Meeting members, including the famous botanist John Bartram, in 1743. It was Bartram who imported many of the original books on return voyages from his plant-specimen shipments to England. This library is older than our country!