History of the Library
1835 to 1909
| 1835 | • Formation of Reading Society (Feb 12) • $2 yearly membership fee for residents • $4 yearly membership fee for non-residents • Borrow one book at a time • Fines for overdue books sixpence daily • No novels or books of moral controversy |
| 1836 | Name changed to Woodstock Subscription Library, Membership 21 |
| 1837 | First novels, those of Walter Scott, allowed into collection |
| 1840 | Membership of 60, Branches in Princeton and Embro |
| 1852 | Merger with Woodstock Mechanics Institute, Location in home of James Simpson, Riddell Street |
| 1858 | Reading Room at Mechanics Hall, northeast corner of Adelaide and Wellington Streets |
| 1868 | Mechanics Hall sold for mortgage, Reading Room moves to various upper floors on Dundas Street until the turn of the century, Library merges with Oxford Literary Society |
| 1904 | On January 11, the City of Woodstock passes a by-law for the establishment of a public library and donates land at the northeast corner of Hunter and Graham Streets for a library building |
| 1905 | Carnegie Foundation awards City of Woodstock a grant of $24,000 for the construction of a library |
| 1909 |  Carnegie funded library building opened |
1910 to the Present
| 1929 | Children's Department established |
| 1932 | Children's Department moved to separate quarters on ground floor |
| 1935 | Membership 3,341 |
| 1967 | Centennial addition opened, including Art Gallery and Reference Room |
| 1969 | Library begins to collect Local History material |
| 1972 | Library acquires former Lutheran Church north of Carnegie building and relocates Children's Department there, Art gallery expands into former Children's Department area, Audio-visual Department created |
| 1976 | City of Woodstock designates Carnegie library a historic building |
| 1982 | Computer terminals installed to link Woodstock Public Library with London Public Library, conversion of card catalogue to computer database begins |
| 1983 | Art Gallery moves to former Knox Presbyterian Church manse on Hunter Street |
| 1984 | Membership 8,100 |
| 1982 | Library's sesquicentennial year |
| 1989 | Automated borrowing of library materials begins |
| 1990 | On-line access to library catalogue begins |
| 1996 | Major renovation and addition to library building completed, public Internet access computers installed, Friends of the Woodstock Public Library established |
| 1999 | $250,000 fundraising campaign successfully completed |
| 2009 | The Library celebrates its Centennial Year |