Past, Present, & Future

The first library in West Springfield began in 1775 when the Reverend Joseph Lathrop organized forty subscribers who contributed funds to purchase a book collection. Tradition says the collection was kept in a two-bushel basket that was carried about the small community. The basket would be left with the most responsible families. This was probably in all of this section of West Springfield proper. By 1807, community interest in the "library" diminished and the collection was divided among the remaining subscribers.

Three years later in 1810, a second group of subscribers revived the library, housing the collection in a  cupboard in the Town House (Hall). The library remained at this location until 1840, when it too, was broken up and sold to the remaining subscribers.

In 1854, a more lasting library was founded by subscribing members who paid $500 each. It was once again located in the Town House. The space that was allocated consisted of two cupboards. In 1872 when a new Town "Hall" was built on Park Street, the library moved into more spacious quarters. In 1885, the town voted to create a free library with the town clerk also doing the duties of the librarian. In 1892, a full-time librarian was appointed. The collection increased to over 10,000 volumes during this period.

By 1913, it became apparent that the Town Hall library facility had reached its capacity. The trustees, in their 1914 report announced "...that through the generosity of Mr. Andre Carnegie, the town can have a building fully equipped and wholly suited to its needs...". On October 25, 1916, with great fanfare, the new West Springfield Public Library was opened on the west corner of Park and Elm Streets. The library contained 2,650 square feet and housed 11,000 items.

1958 Addition

The first addition was built in 1958 and dedicated in June 1959. This enlarged the library by 8,450 gross square feet. A workroom, adult reading room and a balcony to house non-fiction were constructed. The original Carnegie wing housed a separate children's collection.

1978 Addition

A very complex second addition was begun in June 1977. A new wing was constructed for the Youth Department, freeing the Carnegie wing to hold the complete non-fiction collection. A new workroom was constructed and the old one became a quiet study area. A staff break room, cataloging room and an adult fiction room were also added.

2000 and Beyond

The West Springfield Public Library (WSPL) currently has 108,407 items. There are 20 computer workstations available to patrons and wireless Internet access for those patrons who have their own laptops. The Library has 17,000 card holders and patrons who use the library to borrow items in many different formats and attend educational and entertainment programs. While the Library provides great services to its residents, the building has many limitations including: limited parking, inadequate handicap access, lack of meeting space, lack of space for technology expansion, and security issues for library materials, patrons, and staff. In 2007 WSPL was awarded a Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners Planning and Design Grant in the amount of $40,000 with a matching component of $20,000. One half of this amount ($10,000) was provided from secondary funding sources appropriated by the Trustees and the second half ($10,000) was a donation from the Friends of WSPL. The funding has paid for the services of an Owner's Project Manager (Carl Weber of Strategic Building Solutions, Chicopee, MA), an architect (R. Drayton Fair of Lerner, Ladds & Bartels, Providence, RI), and the cost of geotechnical tests (O'Reilly, Talbot & Okun Associates, Inc., Springfield, MA). A Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program grant round was announced in spring 2010. Activities accomplished in the months following the construction grant announcement were: site investigation and public presentation of sites, site selection, creation of Library Building Advisory Committee, three presentations for public input, receiving approval of the construction grant and schematic design from the Planning and Construction Committee and receiving approval from the Mayor and the Town Council to apply for, accept, and expend any state grant and to accept the preliminary design of a new public library facility. Library Administration completed and submitted the construction grant in January 2011. Provisional grant awards and the waiting list will be announced July 14, 2011. For more information about the new library, see our construction project link. We encourage your questions; please direct your correspondence to Antonia Golinski-Foisy, Library Director at agolinsk@cwmars.org.