The Susquehanna County Historical Society & Free Library Association headquarters are in a beautiful Georgian brick building at the corner of

The top floor of the building houses the Historical Society and Museum and draws thousands of visitors every year from around the country. People exploring their family tree use the extensive collection of genealogy sources, including census, cemetery, marriage, birth, and death records. Researchers can visit in person, or expert Historical Society staff can find information on a family name for a small fee. The Museum's remarkable collection of art, toys, photographs, tools, clothing, weapons, and other artifacts from our county's history is fascinating for people of all ages. There is no charge for admission to the Museum, which has been described as a jewel of the county.

The Montrose Library is on the main floor. The overcrowded rooms are busy with patrons borrowing and returning books, videos, DVDs, CDs, cassette books, magazines, and more. A constant stream of people use the computers, complete with high-speed Internet access, to check their email, browse the library catalog, find information online, write reports, create Powerpoint presentations, scan pictures, play educational games, research homework, and more. Programs like Story Hour, Toddler Time, and workshops for homeschooling families draw dozens of participants.

This is also the headquarters for the county library system. Materials for the entire system, including the Forest City, Hallstead-Great Bend, and Susquehanna branch libraries, are ordered, received, and processed here. All administrative functions, including bookkeeping and payroll, are handled in the offices.

The basement level of the building holds the Outreach Services department, which extends library service to all of Susquehanna County via Books-by-Mail and Books-on-Wheels. Outreach Services librarians bring collections of books and other items to a dozen deposit stations across the county, as well as to classrooms, day cares, nursing homes, preschools, and the county jail. They mail bags of books to the homes of people who can't get to a library, and administer the Books for the Blind program.

Fourteen women (and one man) work full-time for the SCHFLA (2 in the Historical Society, 9 for the Main Library and Outreach Services, and 3 at the branches), with an additional twelve part-time staffers (all female; 1 in the Historical Society, 6 for the Main Library/Outreach Services, and 5 at the branches).