About Us:

Established in 1882 by Elder Otis Sawyer, the Shaker Library is located at the only active Shaker Community in the world. It is housed in the original 1880 Shaker Schoolhouse with the collections enclosed in a two-level temperature and humidity controlled vault.

The Library is both the archive for the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Community, as well as a nationally known center of primary and secondary materials by and about the Shakers, from their origins to the present day. Subjects covered include history, religious philosophy, herbal medicine, architecture, furniture, crafts, music, and education. The Library’s Radical Collection of materials on other communal and radical religious sects in America in addition to other special collections, provides context for the experience of the Shakers.