BARRINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY - Where You Belong
MISSION
Barrington Public Library is a safe space for free access to life-enriching knowledge, discovery, and connection.
VISION
Barrington Public Library is an essential community resource for all.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
The library adheres to the American Library Association's policies regarding freedom of access. This includes:
- Library Bill of Rights
- Freedom to Read
- Freedom to View
- related statements contained in the Intellectual Freedom Manual.
We uphold the principles of intellectual freedom, the citizens' right to information, the right to the confidentiality of users' records, and oppose censorship and the dissemination of misinformation.
LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Library Board of Trustees oversees the operation, care, maintenance, and finances of Barrington Public Library. The members of the Library Trustees are appointed by the Town Council to three-year terms. They meet on the third Thursday of the month at 7 pm in the library (and on Zoom during the pandemic).
2026 BOARD MEMBERS
- Chris Watson, President
- Vincent Wicker, Vice President
- Fran Rasmussen, Secretary
- Elizabeth Griffin, Treasurer
- Laura Laurence
- Heidi Rayden
- Jordan Jancosek, Town Council Representative
Meeting minutes are available to view on the website of the RI Secretary of State's office.
STRATEGIC GOALS 2026-2029
GOAL 1—Enhance the library’s social infrastructure.
GOAL 2—Be a learning, innovative organization.
GOAL 3—Build organizational resilience and sustainability.
GOAL 4—Support an ongoing organization-wide commitment to diversity & inclusiveness.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to view the BPL Strategic Goals 2025-2029 document.
PROCESS & COMMITMENT
Our 2026-2029 Strategic Planning Committee consisted of the Director, department heads, and a trustee. We decided not to hire a consultant and to create a three-year plan rather than a five-year plan because leadership may change during this period; it was believed that a new director should have input into future planning.
Our committee met mostly in person starting in Summer 2025 and used our old strategic plan to guide the creation of this new plan.
We largely kept the same goals as the 2020 plan since they were broad and still relevant to the community's needs. Our strategies and tactics have been updated based on information gathered from interviews and surveys and our Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles were updated as well. Overall, we believe this plan is reflective of our current position in our community and ambitious enough to guide our focus over the next three years.
WHAT WE LEARNED
- Barrington Public Library is highly regarded within the community and holds the responsibility to continue to earn its trust and respect.
- The library is a community gathering place—known as the “hub” of the town.
- The library is seen as a place of equity and access.
- Although library funding is adequate at this time, there may be future threats to funding for services and programs.
- Nationally accepted guiding principles for public libraries promote a responsibility for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- The library reinforces and supports the private and public school system.
- At this time, the library has successfully met the challenges of the pandemic; however, the library should develop contingencies in cases of other disruptive events.
- Library meeting space is highly valued.
- The public believes that the library should have a role in fostering interaction among generations, developing ways to reach vulnerable communities, and improving cultural awareness.
Members of 2026-2029 BPL Strategic Planning Committee
Kristen Chin, Director
B. Douglas Swiszcz, Assistant Director
Esme Devault, Vice President of Library Board of Trustees
Kevin Amaral, Head of Custodial Services
Siobhan Egan, Community Engagement Librarian
Patrick Elliot, Technology Coordinator
Benjamin Hanley, Head of Information Services
Lisa Lesinski, Head of Children's Services
Tanya Paglia, Young Adult Librarian
HISTORY OF THE LIBRARY
BARRINGTON LIBRARY SOCIETY, 1806
Reverend Samuel Watson, pastor of Barrington Congregational Church helped form the Barrington Library Society where he served as librarian. The Society was composed of 30 charter members (4 women and 26 men) who paid no more than $1 a year for library membership.
Although not truly a town-supported free public library, the Barrington Library Society was a serious beginning, providing books for its members, particularly history and theology. Fiction, however, was not allowed in the library since it was believed that fiction "worketh abomination and maketh a lie".
The Barrington Library Society continued in its mission for 20 years but gradually fell into disuse.
BARRINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1880 TO 1983
1880 - The Town of Barrington appropriated $250 for its first library. Residents donated over 2,000 books and the town welcomed the new librarian Isaac Cady, who was able to purchase 212 new books, including fiction.
1885 - Circulation of library materials increased to 6,600 with more than 80% attributed to fiction titles.
1888 - The Town of Barrington built a new Town Hall, creating space for its new library along with town offices, high school, antiquarian society and a one-room jail.
1889 - Emma Staples Bradford became the first library director. She holds the record for longest tenure as library director in Barrington (1889 to 1939). She introduced book classification, children's services and an addition to the library space. While serving as the director, she saw the size of the collection grow from 2,500 to 25,000 items.
1913 - The Library began offering story hour to children.
DATE UNKNOWN - Susan Demery became the library director. She introduced the card catalog, service for homebound patrons and another addition to the building along with adding phonographic records to the collection.
DATE UNKNOWN - Roberta Cairns became the library director. She expanded the number of staff and the size of the collection while for a few years operating a branch of the library on Bay Spring Ave.
DATE UNKNOWN- Louise Blalock became library director. She helped to form the Friends of Barrington Public Library.
1981 - Ruth Corkill became the library director. She served in this position until 1991. She oversaw the transition of the library from Town Hall to the former Leander R. Peck School.
BARRINGTON PUBLIC LIBRARY, 1984 TO TODAY
1984 - The library moved into the newly renovated Leander R. Peck School, located just across the parking area from Town Hall.
1991 - Joan Schaefer became the library director. She served in this position until 1999. She introduced computers and the Internet into the library, increased the number and variety of audio-visual materials and received town support to open the library on Sundays.
1999 - Deborah Barchi became the library director. She served in this position until 2017. She was responsible for making the Teen Librarian and Community Services Librarian position full-time and creating the Digital Services Librarian position.
2005 - The library completed a major renovation of the first floor which included: the Circulation Department, the Reference Department, a new Teen Room, computer and printing area and reconfiguring all of the nonfiction and fiction stacks.
2017 - The library completed a major renovation of the second floor which included: the stairwell, Children's Room, the Auditorium/Gallery, Meeting Rooms, the Technical Services Department, the Staff Room and the Administrative Offices.
2017 - Kristen Chin became the current library director.
Information gathered from a report prepared by Deborah Barchi, Library Director, borrowing extensively from a presentation prepared by Joan Schaefer, retired Library Director.
Updated by library staff, January 2019.
LEANDER R. PECK SCHOOL
The Leander R. Peck School opened September 4, 1917 for Barrington students in grades 6 to 12. The building was a gift to the town from Mrs. Peck, in memory of her husband.
The Peck family's generosity to the Town of Barrington is of historic note. Mrs. Peck's son Frederick was a member of the Building Committee for the school. The deed of gift to the Town for the school included all of the furnishings.
The exterior of the school is brick and was expanded in 1929, and again in 1936. The original school now forms the west wing of the present library/community center.
A declining student population resulted in the closing of the Peck School in 1979. In 1982, the Town approved a bond for renovation of the Peck School into a public library/community center and approved the renovation of the former public library space at Town Hall to make way for the School Administration Offices.
Excerpts from a report printed by the Friends of Barrington Public Library.
