The Main Library is located in the heart of downtown Brockton. Built in 1913 with a $110,000 donation from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, the library has had a long history of serving the people of Brockton. The library just completed a $12.1 million renovation/addition project to improve these services.
History:
The Brockton Public Library was first established in 1867 when Brockton was still known as the town of North Bridgewater. With a collection of about 600 books purchased from prominent citizens, the town opened the library in what was called the Studley building near the corner of Main and High streets. The library changed locations a couple of times until 1893 when it moved to the basement of City Hall.
As early as 1903, the city's librarian was citing the need for a larger facility. In 1910, Brockton Mayor William H. Clifford wrote a letter to industrialist Andrew Carnegie requesting a donation for a new public library building. During his lifetime, Carnegie was responsible for the construction of 2,509 libraries in the English-speaking world. Brockton's librarian, Frank H. Whitmore, followed up the Mayor's letter with his own appeal to Carnegie, saying that:
"The library shelves, after allowance has been made for a newly constructed balcony, are crowded. All available space has been used on the shelves in the Reference Room and the library is making use of a room for storage purposes not conveniently near the main collection."
Carnegie agreed to donate $75,000 to build a new library, then increased the donation to $110,000 after the city conducted a study of library needs and found that the original amount would be insufficient. In return, the city agreed to appropriate at least $11,000 annually for the operation of the library.
