Mission
Westwood Public Library provides easy-to-access resources, services and experiences that invite people of all ages, cultures and interests to connect, explore, relax, problem-solve and thrive.
History
Westwood Public Library traces its roots to the late 19th century.
Library service in the town began as a branch of the Dedham Public Library in the 1890s. The Islington Branch / Wentworth Hall housed library programs and services since the 1880s. In the early 1900s a new library building—gifted to the town by resident Howard Colburn—anchored Westwood’s civic center and served the community for decades.
Today’s Main Library
Responding to growing needs, the town opened a modern, 21st-century main library on High Street in July 2013, a light-filled, sustainably designed facility conceived to expand programs, meeting space, and collections for all ages. Today the library balances that long local history with a lively program of services, local-history collections, and community partnerships that continue to make it a town gathering place.
The new Main Library opened on July 1, 2013, and was dedicated on September 15, 2013. The building is 32,000 square feet in size. The old Main Library was 18,000 square feet. The project budget was $13.9 million. The Town voted $9 million for the project. The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded the Town a $4 million construction grant. The remaining funding came from private donations. The project was LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the US Energy Council.
The project involved moving the historic Colburn School building (1876) from its original location. After completing the new Library, the School was moved to the site of the original Library and underwent extensive renovations. The former School now houses the Rockland Trust Bank on the first floor and residential apartments on the second and third floors.
All materials in the new library have Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags. Returned items are scanned and automatically checked in on a conveyor belt. Patrons can use self-check stations which also use the RFID system to streamline borrowing.
The Islington Branch Library
The Islington Branch Library is located in Wentworth Hall at 273 Washington Street. We are excited to welcome you to your friendly neighborhood branch library. Join us for programming, passive play, and literary wonders!
Islington Branch Painting and calligraphy by Deidre Sullivan
Islington Branch in new Wentworth hall 2022
Islington Branch Library Timeline
Researched and prepared by Marion Manly. Painting and calligraphy by Deidre Sullivan.
The Margaret and Otis Philbrick Collection
The Westwood Public Library is fortunate to have over fifty original works by the internationally acclaimed artists, Margaret and Otis Philbrick. The Philbrick family resided in Westwood, MA from 1941 through 2005. Mrs. Philbrick donated a number of her etchings and serigraphs to the library in the early 1970’s.
When I offered the collection of many of my original prints to the library, I wanted to give something back to the town for the happy and productive years I lived in Westwood. I thought that in the future people might like to know what some of the spots used to look like – from the early 1940’s on.
Artwork by Margaret and Otis Philbrick is displayed throughout the Westwood Public Library. QR Codes posted near the pieces give information about the work and interesting facts relating to the subject matter. Please visit our Philbrick Collection guide for a full overview of the collection including print names, meaning, and history.
The Rufus Porter Mural
Rufus Porter, born in 1792, was an important American folk art muralist. Porter painted murals in several homes in West Dedham in 1838-1839. The mural in the library was donated to the town by Betsy Baker.
The Westwood Bicentennial Commission and the Westwood Historical Society spearheaded a fundraising drive to restore it and have it displayed at the Westwood Public Library. It was unveiled by Mrs. Baker in September 1976. The mural currently hangs on the second floor of the Main Building near the Fiction Section.
The Bicentennial Quilt
Westwood’s Bicentennial Quilt
This quilt hangs in the Library’s Conference Room. Squares depict historic buildings and locations in Westwood, including Town Hall, Westwood Cemetery, the First Parish Church, and the old Public Library. It was made by members of the Westwood Young Women’s Club in 1975-1976 in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial and donated to the town.
The Town Seal
Westwood Town Seal
Fred Brunner made this carving of the Westwood Town Seal in approximately three months and donated it to the town on Thanksgiving Day 1956. It is made of Linden and mahogany. Brunner was born in Alsace-Lorraine in 1901, emigrated to the United States in1923, moved to High Street in Westwood in the early 1950s, and died in 1983. He was an accomplished woodworker, with works in many churches, and wrote at least one manual on woodworking.
