Library Hours | Contact Information | Map | History of the Holmes

The Holmes Public Library is home to over 30,000 materials including books, large print materials, audiobooks on both CD and cassette, CDs, DVDs, videos, CD-ROMs, periodicals, and tax forms. Our membership in the SAILS Library Network offers us access to additional materials in over 68 libraries in the system. We have six wireless Internet enabled computers (Alcott, Bronte, Carroll, Dickens, Emerson and Fitzgerald) available for patron use, two game specific computers for children (Matt and Mackie) as well as fax and photocopy facilities.

Our library also contains a Community Room which seats 50 available for public use as well as a display area/gallery and the Ruth V. Perkins Reading Garden. We offer many programs for children in the community including the Summer Reading Program, bedtime storyhours, and infant lap-sits.

Library Hours

Winter (September - May) Monday      12-8 Tuesday     10-5 Wednesday 12-8 Thursday    10-5 Friday        10-5 Saturday    10-2 Sunday      Closed	Summer (June - August) Monday      10-8 Tuesday     10-5 Wednesday 10-8 Thursday    10-5 Friday        10-5 Saturday    Closed Sunday      Closed

 

 

 

 


The Library closes on the following major holidays:

New Year's Day Martin Luther King Day Presidents' Day Patriots' Day Memorial Day	The Fourth of July Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans' Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day

 

Contact Us




Fax	(781)294-8518
Phone	(781)293-2271
Mail	The Holmes Public Library 470 Plymouth Street Halifax, Massachusetts 02338
E-mail	General Library:        hfxpl@sailsinc.org Laurie Cavanaugh, Director:        lcavanaugh@sailsinc.org Jean Gallant, Adult Services:        jgallant@sailsinc.org Marie Coady, Children's / YA Services:        mcoady@sailsinc.org Susan Scott, Reference:        sscott@sailsinc.org Rose Ruel, Cataloging:        rruel@sailsinc.org Paula Walker, Library Assistant, Bookmobile:        pwalker@sailsinc.org Amy Tull, Technology Coordinator:        atull@sailsinc.org


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History of the Holmes Public Library


The following is from Guy Baker's A History of Halifax...

"...In 1876 Dr. Howland Holmes of Lexington, Massachusetts donated the sum of $100.00 to establish a free library in the Town of Halifax. Dr. Holmes was the oldest brother of a resident of Halifax, John Holmes, who is well remembered for his work as a tin peddler. The old Town Hall, which had been the original meetinghouse, housed the library in a room once used as a drill hall. The building was destroyed by fire in 1907 and the library contents were a total loss. There had been thirty-five books out in circulation when this fire occurred and naturally they were recovered as a nucleus with which to begin again. Following the loss of the library site, the library services were moved to the Congregational Church. In 1908 the Town appropriated one thousand dollars for the new library, the committee appointed to carry out this project consisted of Henry M. Bosworth, E. Laurence Grover, Fred Simpson, Jabez P. Thompson and Edwin H. Vaughan. A school building, gift of the J.L. Jones Family, was moved to the present library site and remodeled so that it served both as a library and a Post office. In 1910 the deed for the lot was accepted from Mrs. Elizabeth Jones. Once again Halifax had its library..."  

 

	Today the Holmes Public Library has moved into the same building as the school located on Plymouth Street, and currently Laurie Cavanaugh serves as Library Director. The library is prepared for the future, in that it has eight Internet enabled computers, and is also a part of a library network (SAILS) that allows patrons to check out books from other libraries.