page_title: Cranston Public Library
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Cranston Public Library / History
caption_attribution_description: English: An early capture of one the many locations of the Knightsville branch library.
context_page_description: The Cranston Public Library is the public library system serving Cranston, the third largest city in Rhode Island. The first library in Cranston was formed in 1797, while the library system was formed in 1966 by the Cranston City Council. The present day library system formed in 1968 when six independent neighborhood libraries came together as one. There are six locations in the system, including a central library and five neighborhood branches. The library system is governed by a board of trustees consisting of seven members appointed by the Cranston City Council. Members serve staggered three-year terms. Meetings are open to the public.
  In addition to traditional library services, the Cranston Public Library provides services such as tax preparation, 3D printing, analog-to-digital audio transferring, and educational programs among others. The system also provides mobile services to homebound residents.
context_section_description: The Cranston Public Library system was formed in 1966, when six independent neighborhood libraries came together as one library system. The system currently has a central library and five neighborhood branches.
  1700s
  In 1797, 37 men in the Western part of Cranston formed the Cranston Library Society. Records suggest that this society was still in operation as late as 1806.
  1800s
  In 1824, twelve men were granted a petition by the General Assembly to establish “a library of useful books” in the Knightsville neighborhood of Cranston. The Knightsville Library Society met at the Inn of James Aldrich, and funds were raised to purchase a bookcase to house the 57 volumes in the collection.This library society operated until 1831.
  In 1840, the Harmony Freemason’s Lodge 9 F. and A.M. in Pawtuxet Village organized the Pawtuxet Masonic Library Association for the lodge’s members and their families.
  Around 1840, the village of Fiskeville and Jackson built a Reading Room on Main Street.
  The Auburn Public Library opened as the Auburn Public Library Association in 1888 in a little storefront on Wellington Avenue with a collection of between 500 and 1000 volumes.
  Arlington Library opened in 1895 in the Arlington neighborhood district hall with a collection of 500 volumes.
  Oak Lawn Library opened in 1897 in a building that was formerly a schoolhouse.
  The Edgewood Public Library opened on March 13, 1897 with a collection of 800 volumes in a small school at Park and Warwick Avenues. On November 4, 1897, the library moved into a new building on Norwood Avenue near Broad Street.
  1900s
  In 1907, the Arlington Library moved to the new Cranston Street building. Arlington also added a branch in the Cranston Print Works Brick Store, which lasted for 50 years until the building was demolished.
  1920s
  A bookmobile made monthly visits to residents in Oaklawn Village and other villages in the Western part of Cranston in the 1920s.
  Knightsville Community Library opened in 1926 in a storefront on Cranston Street near the old town hall.
  The William H. Hall Free Library opened to the public November 13, 1927. The Hall Library replaced the Edgewood Public Library.
  1930s
  In July 1932, residents of the Thornton neighborhood of Cranston formed the Thornton Community Free Public Library, which opened in a store front. The library would move several times over its history to different locations on Plainfield Pike.
  1950s
  In 1952, the William Hall Library announced the opening of a branch on the second floor of the Pawtuxet Volunteer Fire Company Hall on the corner of Sheldon and Commercial Streets.
  1960s
  The Cranston City Council commissioned a study by Kenneth Shaffer of Simmons College in 1965 to craft recommendations for library development in the city. Based on the Shaffer report and in accordance with Rhode Island law, the City Council established the Cranston Public Library system in 1966, and James Giles was appointed the first Library Director. The six neighborhood libraries were invited to join; Oak Lawn Library was the first to join in 1968.
  In 1962, Knightsville Library moved into its new location at 1847 Cranston Street on land donated by the estate of Gerard Ruggieri.
  An addition was put onto the Oak Lawn Library building in 1966 in celebration of its 77th anniversary.
  1970s
  In 1972, CPL voted to create restricted library cards for minors which allowed parents to decide what kind of content their children could check out.
  The Thornton Library branch closed in 1977 due to budget cuts and low use of the branch. A new book van service was established to continue to serve residents of Thornton and other neighborhoods in western Cranston.
  1980s
  Cranston’s Central Library opened in 1983 on Sockanosset Cross Road and became the administrative center of the library system.
  In an agreement with the city of Cranston, the Arlington Library building on Cranston Street was turned over to the city and demolished to build a new Cranston Senior Center in 1987. The agreement called for the Arlington Reading Room to be inside the new center.
  The William Hall Library wa
caption: Early Knightsville Branch
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