History
Today's Whitinsville Social Library has its roots in a meeting held in December of 1844 to discuss a $100 legacy left by Miss Sarah Whitin "to take into consideration the establishment of a Social Library." In February of the 1876, the library, then housed in the new Town Hall, was allocated the sum of $300 by the town and opened as a free public library.
In 1913, the present library building on Church Street was constructed through the efforts of Edward and Arthur Fletcher Whitin, who sold it to the town of Northbridge for $1.00 in 1917.
During the 20th century, the library grew apace of the town. Income from a private trust fund established by the Whitin family augmented the annual municipal allocations. In the 1970's, the library became active in the regional library system and during the 1990's joined CWMARS, the regional automated catalog system, which also provides for public Internet access. In 2001, the library started taking steps to automate the card catalog and circulating systems.
