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Unnamed person donates $20,000 to Adirondack Research Room

SARANAC LAKE — An anonymous local donor has given the Adirondack Research Room at the Saranac Lake Free Library $20,000 to bolster and preserve the significant collections under its care.

This donation has already resulted in the construction of additional cabinetry to securely house rare pamphlets and manuscripts. It will also enable additions to the collections such as out-of-print books, maps, old photographs and paper ephemera.

Michele Tucker, curator of the room, notes that other projects, now possible and under consideration, include book restoration, an updated brochure and a microfilm reader-printer. She adds that visiting historians and researchers — as well as local patrons — will benefit from the upgrades and additions that this gift makes possible.

Library Director Peter Benson and the Board of Trustees are grateful for this gift.

Because of the pandemic, the room cannot be open at present. However, Tucker is available to provide assistance by phone (518-891-0807) or by email (slfl.michele@gmail.com).

The Adirondack Research Room’s collection was established in 1923 when Alfred L. Donaldson, author of the seminal two-volume “History of the Adirondacks,” bequeathed his collection of regional historical material to the library. With subsequent gifts and support, the Research Room and its collections are now recognized as a major resource for students of Adirondack history.

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