Library History
Hope Library is located in the heart of historic Hope Village, across from the Hope Elementary School. Originally housed in the basement of a local church, the library was able to move to its present location due to the generosity of Miss Alice M. Howland, the librarian, and the efforts of the Hope Library Association, of which Miss Howland was the first president. The Hope Library Association formed in 1944 with the purpose of improving the library facilities for the Hope community. The original site for a new building was to be donated by the Methodist Episcopal Church. However, in 1965 Miss Howland gave permission to use some of the land donated by her for "public park and recreation uses" for the new Hope Library building. The town of Scituate gave the deed to the library association on the condition the building be completed within two years. In September of 1966 the library was dedicated.
In 1989, due to the growing population, Hope Library began a much-needed addition, doubling its size. Mounted on a granite pedestal with a cobblestone terrace is one of the original Hope Furnace Cannons, forged from the Hope Furnace Foundry, "dedicated to the men and women of the Village of Hope, Rhode Island, who have served their country in time of conflict."
In 2003, Hope Library underwent another transformation, with the addition of a new Children's Room. The room now occupies a large area in the library's lower level, complete with computers, bean bag chairs, dvds, audiobooks, and a fresh water fish tank.
Today, Hope Library is able to offer its growing community a number of services, including the latest bestsellers for adults, in both print and e-book versions, award-winning books for children, public access to the Internet, Wi-Fi, programs for all ages, up-to-date reference materials, audiobooks and a large collection of both fiction and non-fiction dvds.
