Hinsdale Public Library

The Hinsdale Public Library’s dynamic future is a reflection of its long and active history. The Hinsdale Public Library and its predecessor, the Hinsdale Library Association, have been providing service to Hinsdale residents since 1887.

Hinsdale Library Association: The Hinsdale Library Association was incorporated in 1887 and had 150 paying members and 150 volumes. During the library association’s lifetime (1887-1893) it was housed in various commercial buildings and moved three times.

Hinsdale Public Library: The tax-supported Hinsdale Public Library was created in 1893. Absorbing the collection, assets, and staff of the Library Association, the Public Library opened in August 1893. The Public Library continued the nomadic experience of the Library Association, sharing space with various businesses and relocating six times between 1893 and 1929. The completion of the Memorial Building in 1929 gave the Hinsdale Public Library its first permanent home. (Bakken, 107-8 )

Through the next few decades, the library continued its vital and vigorous growth, causing it to outgrow its space. D.K. Pearsons, one of the directors of the Library Association, donated his home and a portion of his estate to the library, which funded the 1957 addition to the library. (Dugan, 142) The former Pearsons Wing is now home to the Village of Hinsdale offices.

The library again found itself in tight quarters and in need of expansion. In 1988 another addition, on the west side of the Memorial Building, was constructed and the library and the village swapped office spaces in the Memorial Building.

Overall, in its 120-year history, the library (Hinsdale Library Association and the Hinsdale Public Library) has moved 11 times, survived fires, and built two additions. (Bakken,107-8) (Dugan, 176)