Founded in 1841, the Sparta Public Library Association consisted of seventeen members with a yearly budget of $36.50, charged fines of 2 cents per day, and provided 14 periodicals. A member could not “receive any other periodical while fines were outstanding.”

Sparta’s population remained sparsely scattered for many years, with the only increases due to summer vacationers, so the library grew slowly. The creation of Lake Mohawk, followed by the post-WWII era, brought about a doubling of Sparta’s year-round population.

In 1960 the “Free Public Library of the Township of Sparta” was established in the original brick Municipal Building. The Township voted to withdraw from the County Library system and construct a library building. In 1971, the Library moved from one room in the Municipal Building to the present brick colonial building. Services have been expanded over the years to meet the needs of the diversified and growing population of the Township. Sparta Public Library now offers up-to-date automated services in addition to over 60,000 books, books on tape, books on CD, music CD’s, DVD’s, graphic novels and downloadable audio books. We also offer children’s programs, computerized reference sources, remote access to the Library’s databases and catalog (http://www.spartalibrary.com), plus 11 computers with Internet access and wi-fi “hot spot” in the Library.

Mission Statement
To provide the people of Sparta Township with the materials necessary to provide for lifelong learning, personal growth, and their recreational needs. The Library is committed to providing materials, in whatever format is needed, to achieve this goal. As the information center of the community, Sparta Library will respond to the residents by providing the latest technology to link local, national and global resources.