Hours
Open for Visits:

• Monday and Wednesday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
• Closed Sundays

Public Wi-Fi:

Free public wi-fi is available throughout the Library grounds (including the parking lot) 24/7!

The Library is closed on the following holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Memorial Day
• July 4th
• Labor Day
• Thanksgiving and day after
• Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day

Directions

The Library is located at 138 Cemetery Avenue, just north of the roundabout, on the corner of Route 7A and Cemetery Avenue, Manchester Center, VT 05255. Our mailing address is PO Box 1105, Manchester Center, VT 05255.

Parking for Events

The Manchester Community Library is located at 138 Cemetery Avenue, Manchester Center, VT 05255, the corner of Main Street, Rt. 7A and Cemetery Avenue.

For larger events, programs, and meetings, we highly encourage you to carpool if possible. Please park in the back of Zion Episcopal Church (5167 Main Street, Rt. 7A), seen in green below, rather than in the Library lot. It is within short walking distance to the Library. Your help will be greatly appreciated in keeping Library lot spaces open for patrons.

Two accessible parking spaces are located by the front entrance of the Library. Five parallel parking spots are on Cemetery Avenue. Please avoid the spaces reserved for Maples opposite the Library, in the Advanced Eyecare lot across the street, or at Ye Olde Tavern (see in red below).

History

The Mark Skinner Library opened on July 7th, 1897. It was built by Frances Skinner Willing in memory of her father, Mark Skinner, a Chicago judge and philanthropist who was born in Manchester and returned to spend every summer here. In 1964, a leadership gift from community member Sarah Larson provided an addition that doubled library space. The Mark Skinner building, as finished in 1964, had been the home to Manchester’s library for the past 50 years.

For most of its history, the Mark Skinner Library was governed and operated as a private library. In 2003, it was converted to Manchester’s public library, supported partly by taxpayers and partly through endowment and fundraising. With thoughtful planning and input from the community, in 2006, the Board approved the long-range action steps required to attain Manchester’s vision of a public library. This vision included the possibility of a new building facility, enhanced programming, and added technology. A visionary community member, Lyn Hoyt valued a strong public library, and her commitment was her legacy to the Northshire community. Her generous bequest laid the financial foundation for a library of the future, providing a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand and enhance services to better serve the community.

In 2014, construction was completed on the Manchester Community Library, a community hub in an accessible and central location. Over 500 community members joined the grand opening celebration on November 15, 2014. In 2015, thanks to the diligent work of the MCL Board of Trustees and the generosity of MCL donors, the $7.2 million capital campaign goal was met. Since then, the MCL has cultivated a reputation as an inspiring gathering place, a trusted resource, and a welcoming and stimulating environment for personal enrichment and social connection.

The library gratefully acknowledges the generous support of our local business and nonprofit sponsors:

A Stronger Partnership for the Future

As Manchester Community Library celebrates its 10th anniversary, we are taking an important step forward in how we partner with the Town of Manchester. After a decade of stable operations and growing community impact, the Library and Town are aligning our funding process to better reflect this shared success. Beginning in FY27, the Library will move from an annual appropriation request to a Town budget inclusion model.

What’s Changing

Manchester Community Library will enter into a three-year funding agreement with the Town that includes the Library as a line item in the Town budget.

• In the first year, the Library and Town will agree on a funding amount to be included in the Town budget.
• In subsequent years, the Library’s funding will rise or fall alongside the Town’s overall budget.
• After three years, both parties will review the arrangement and decide whether to continue.

This approach provides clarity, consistency, and accountability for both taxpayers and the Library.

Why This Change Matters

• Greater transparency and trust between the Library, the Town, and the community
• Predictable budgeting that supports responsible planning
• Shared responsibility during both strong and challenging budget years
• Long-term sustainability for a community institution entering its second decade.

This model reflects confidence in the Library’s financial management and its ability to steward public and private support responsibly.

Looking Ahead

With predictable public funding in place, the Library can focus more fully on:

• Growing planned giving and long-term endowment support
• Expanding community outreach and impact
• Strengthening programs, services, and spaces that serve all ages

At Its Core

Manchester Community Library is a community investment — not just in books and programs, but in lifelong learning, connection, and civic life. This updated funding partnership strengthens the relationship between the Library and the Town and ensures the Library remains financially strong, transparent, and forward-looking for years to come.