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In 1843 a group of people gathered in Saugus to debate the philosophical issues of the day. They became known as the Saugus Debating Society. The members collected 100 books from their private libraries and put them in a room of one member's home. They allowed each other to borrow books from this collection. With the passage of a state law allowing Free Public Libraries to be established, this collection was turned over to the Town to start the Saugus Public Library. In 1916 the Town accepted a gift of $10,000 from the Carnegie Corporation to build a new Library on Central Street. That building served the Town until 1996 when the Town approved the construction of the current Library.
Over the years the Library has evolved to meet the changing needs of the Community. Today people will find a collection of over 80,000 items, including books in regular and large print, newspapers, periodicals, videocassettes, CDs, DVDs, and audiocassettes. Reference materials include print and electronic forms for both children and adults. The Library also provides PCs and laptops and wireless access to the Internet.
In addition to receiving public funding, the Library has benefited from the generosity and support of individuals within the community. These financial contributions have greatly enhanced Library programs, services, and collections as have the donations of paintings, local history material, furniture, clocks and curios.
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