For over 140 years, the Congregational Library has been collecting and preserving manuscripts and printed materials that document our church and denominational histories. The Library helps professional historians, history buffs, and genealogists expedite their research. The Library board reviews and purchases more than 800 new books each year on topics of interest to both the general reader and the specialist. New books and old, along with more than 100 periodicals are available. The collection of 225,000 titles as well as new books are described in the Library's Bulletin. The Bulletin is published three times annually and available to members of the Library.

Over the past five years, the Library has greatly expanded its archival function, collecting and processing the records of a number of Congregational agencies and local churches, which are frequently researched by, or on behalf of, both historians and genealogists. The oldest of those records goes back to 1669 and the founding of Boston's Old South Church. Library personnel also consult by letter and telephone (and when near Boston, by personal visit) with local church historians seeking instruction in records preservation.

Libraries are oddities in the world of mission efforts. Think of the Congregational Library as a benevolent agency. It serves a vital role to people and leaders of Congregational Christian Churches. Consider that a typical paperback may cost from $10 - $20, and a typical hardcover book may run from $14 - $45. However, those borrowing from the Library can read a copy of such a book for less than $1.50 in postage. Multiply that savings by as many as ten books read by a typical borrower in a year, and the Library's claim to be a vital agency becomes apparent. Remember also, that many Christian books simply are not stocked by public libraries.

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