A Little History

For more than one hundred years, Westford residents have shown their support for making books and other materials accessible to all. The J.V. Fletcher Library has long been the crown jewel of Westford Common. This expansion and renovation cements the library’s role as the hub of the community and is just the latest in a strong history of gifts, donations, benefactors, and grants.

Timeline

1797 – Social Library founded by 25 Westford citizens

1859 – Social Library donated to the Town

1873 – Agricultural Library donated to the Town

1895 – Jonathan Varnum Fletcher donated 75 percent of the funds to build a new library on the Westford Common

1963 – Basement Children’s Room funded by J.V. Fletcher’s great granddaughter Marian F. Winnek

1969 – Renovation/addition funded by federal Library Services & Construction Act (LSCA) Title II grant

1972 – The Friends of the J.V. Fletcher Library – an independent, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization -- formed

1979 – Bookmobile funded by federal LSCA Title I grant

1988 – Renovation/addition awarded Massachusetts Public Library Construction Project (MPLCP) grant award

2007 – 2012 – Library Beautification funded by the Friends of the J.V. Fletcher Library, Inc.

2017 – Westford waitlisted for MPLCP grant award of nearly $8 million

2022 – The J.V. Fletcher Library learned that it had six months to approve the funding for the Library Building Project. The Library then received positive votes at both Town Meeting and on Election Day as Westford approved the expenditure through a debt exclusion.

Westford has voted its approval of the Library Building Project seven times, the most recent being at Special Town Meeting in October 2022 and Election Day in November 2022.

  • March 2012 Annual Town Meeting -- $20,000 to match Planning and Design Grant

  • March 2014 Annual Town Meeting – Approval to apply for, accept, and expend grant funds (Planning and Design Grant)

  • March 2015 Annual Town Meeting -- $35,000 Library Feasibility Study

  • October 2016 Special Town Meeting – Approval to apply for, accept, and expend grant funds (MPLCP grant)

  • June 2022 Annual Town Meeting -- $10,000 Library Cost Estimating