History:

The Abbott Memorial Library was given to the Town of Dexter by George A. Abbott on Christmas Day 1894. In 1894 it housed a collection of 4,017 books. Today our collection numbers are over 26,217 and counting. This includes 753 videotapes, 213 DVD's, and 1018 unabridged audio tapes. The library subscribes to 66 magazines and five newspapers. An online index of periodicals which includes full test articles is available for patron use.

The library provides services to the residents of Dexter, Cambridge, Exeter, Garland, Ripley, and St. Albans. Public Internet access is available from 8 computers (work stations), and we offer wireless Internet access as well as an on-line catalog of library holdings. We accept telephone requests for renewals and provide in state as well as out-of-state inter-library loans, monthly lists of new books, public photocopying and delivery of books to shut-ins.

The library's obituary project is finished; years 1865 through 2006. We are now checking our database against obituary scrapbooks owned by the Dexter Historical Society and adding those that were not included in our database