The public library in Vassar was established in 1906, when Mrs. Emma Bullard willed her home and property to the Village of Vassar to be "used as a public library forever." The Bullard Library operated in the former Bullard home for 56 years. As part of their compensation, librarians were permitted to live rent-free in the upper level of the home, while the library was operated on the lower floor. When the Village of Vassar became a city in 1947, the Library became a city chartered public library. In 1962, with additional funds from the Anely Sanford Memorial Trust, a new building was erected on the site of the former home.