The Wilmington Memorial Library

Wilmington's first official public library opened in 1871 in a rear room of what was then the Town Hall (now the Wilmington Arts Center). Charles. W. Swain was the town's first librarian. In 1890, the library moved to the Center School House (now the 4th of July Building) across from the Town Common where it remained for nearly 80 years.

Rapid growth of Wilmington, especially during the 1950's, was reflected in the growth and use of its public library. The need for a larger library to meet a growing community became apparent and planning for a new facility began in the early 1960's. The site chosen to build a new library was the former site of Saint Thomas of Villanova Roman Catholic Church on Middlesex Avenue. A new 14,900 square foot library was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1969 and renamed the Wilmington Memorial Library in honor of all Wilmington veterans.

In 1987, the library joined the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (MVLC), a library automation network serving over 30 communities in the greater Merrimack Valley area of Massachusetts. Originally created by the public libraries in the Valley in the early 1980's to manage a shared circulation system, MVLC today provides a range of technology services to members.

The need for a new library facility was confirmed through a series of community based planning events begun in 1995. In July 2005, the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners awarded Wilmington a $3.4 million construction grant to build a new library on the Swain School site across from the Town Common. The authorization to fund the balance of $8.3 million to build the new facility was defeated by the voters in November, 2005, resulting in the forfeiture of the grant award.