Our History

In anticipation of the passage of the Library Act, and the need for a proper facility, Mary F. Holmes donated a small piece of land for the Public Hall to the Mashpee Public Hall Library Society, stipulating that a building must be erected on the land within a year.

March 1891 Town Meeting voted to accept the Act of 1890 relating to a Free Public Library and Reading Room, and Mashpee become one of 36 towns in Massachusetts to establish a library during the first year following passage of the act.

Mashpee appropriated $15, appointed trustees, accepted $100 from the state to buy books, and made arrangements to open the library in the multi-purpose Public Hall.

In 1928 $1625 was appropriated by Town Meeting to construct a new building on the southeast corner of Snake Pond and Great Neck roads, which would function exclusively as the town’s library.

On June 18, 1967, the first official town library was formally dedicated and remained in operation for the next twenty years in its Great Neck Road location.

In response to the growth of the community, a larger library building was constructed and opened on Nathan Ellis Highway (Route 151) in 1987. Despite the increase in the size and scope of this building, it was quickly noted that the expansion of the town would quickly outpace the new library’s ability to provide services to the residents.

In April 2010, Mashpee opened its fifth public library building at 64 Steeple Street on the site of the former building. The 22,000 square foot building included state of the art technology and was awarded LEED certification at the silver level for incorporating environmentally friendly and sustainable design practices.

The year 2017 marked the library’s 125th year of proudly providing service to the community. The Library owes its success through the years to the dedication and loyalty of our residents, patrons, employees, volunteers, and town officials. We thank you all for your support!