History of the Library


Established in 1920, the West Dennis Library has provided over 80 years of service to the Dennis Community. Initially operating out of a private home, the West Dennis Library Association built a small one room structure on Rt. 28 in 1924. Expanded in 1961, the library saw its biggest change come in 2003 when it bought the former Ruth Lee Dress Shop next door and tripled its usable space.

Still warm and inviting, the new building provides more of everything… more parking, more reading room, more materials, and is handicap accessible. The second floor offers potential for programs, exhibits, and public meeting space.

Since the move, the West Dennis Library has grown in every way. Our size, inventory, circulation and patronage have all increased. Our newest addition is offering Wi-Fi and DSL internet access. In September of 2004 we expanded our daily hours so that Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we would be open 9-5 with no mid-day break, added two more hours on Tuesday and Thursday, added Wednesday nights all year (not summer only), and in February of 2009 added Sunday hours to expand our services even further.

Historically, each village within the town of Dennis has had its own separate “Village Library”. In the late 1990s there was a movement in town to build one new large central town library. This concept failed at town meeting because our citizens wisely realized that our small village library system was a gem, providing an important part of the quality of life for our town. Many grass roots community projects have come from very small gatherings of library patrons who are well aware that our local village libraries offer much more to our residents than just books. These small libraries are a wonderful place for people to meet and exchange news and information.

Because we are a private library we only are partially funded by the town. In order to fund our expenses we are plan many special fund raising events and are encouraging donations be made to the library in memorium, in honor of special events or to support specific services or purchases you feel you would like to see us provide. If you would like to support the library in this way, please make checks payable to the West Dennis Library and mail them to:

PO Box 158, West Dennis MA. 02670

For a very modest $10. membership fee you can join the West Dennis Library Asssociation and participate in general meetings and decision making. For more information please call the library or send a check to the address above.

Last updated: May 28, 2009

© 2010 West Dennis Library Updated: September 3, 2010 Visitors: 138,589
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