In 1845, an intellectually-minded cobbler in Renfrew named William Dickson, who traveled from farm to farm and house to house eventually settled in a shop near the present Post Office. His shop gradually became a centre of discussions for towns people discussing their dreams, latest philosophy and varied topics.
In 1852 Mr. Dickson, along with Mr. Archie Thompson and a lawyer, Mr. Elkanah Billings, gathered up a few books and some money and formed the Renfrew Mechanics Institute and Library Association. After about 15 years, this original group had drifted apart, and the institute almost closed for several years.
In 1870 another group of book lovers came along and revitalized the library. Towards the end of the century the Institute gave away to a Public Library Board and the books were moved to the Barnet block, above what was then James Clark’s drugstore, and later the Biway Store.
Still later, an application was made to the Carnegie Institute in the U.S. for assistance, and the existing building was erected in 1919 and 1920 at a cost of $19,315.00. Andrew Carnegie, a Scottish born U.S. Steelmaker left a good many of the millions he dug out of the U.S. earth to building libraries. Renfrew Public Library is one of 111 libraries that were built in Ontario with funds provided by Mr. Andrew Carnegie. Today it is one of 62 Carnegie libraries still operating in Ontario. The library offers a diverse collection of 27,191 materials, including books, audiobooks, DVDs, video games, Wi-Fi hotspots, telescopes, and more, along with a digital collection that is accessible to the community from home.
