West Islip Public Library

Mission:

The West Islip Public Library exists to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of the West Islip Community by connecting them to the materials, services, and facilities that will assist them in obtaining and utilizing information in all its many forms.

History:

The West Islip Public Library has its roots in the great boom in suburban development that marked the post-war period of the 1950s on Long Island. West Islip was transformed from a sparsely populated area of old estates and farms to a bustling community during this decade. In the mid-1950s the community began to develop and the population grew rapidly. The need for a true library in West Islip was the main topic of a Secatogue School PTA meeting in November, 1954. Up till then, the community’s “library” was a shelf of books in the Higbie Lane School principal’s office which adults could borrow. Early support was strong, and planning began in earnest, but it would be almost three years before those plans were realized.