The Whitman Memorial Library began with a bequeath from Eleanor Bryant Whitman in 1908. Eleanor was the daughter of Samuel Bryant, one of the first men to settle in the town of Woodstock in 1799. She left the sum of $1,500 to the town to erect a library in the name of herself and her husband, Alanson Whitman. Eleanor left another $4,000 to be spent on “good moral books.” It is said that the reason for this venture was because she felt that she and her husband had not been given sufficient recognition as descendants of the first settlers of the town. The land for the new library was acquired and the building was completed and opened to the public in 1910. As the community grew, the library continued to function in its confines until a large addition was built in 2000, which provided more shelf space, indoor plumbing, and a basement for storage. The addition was the result of a significant community fundraising effort which matched the large donation made by the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.

The Whitman Memorial Library has been open continuously since 1920 and has employed eleven librarians in its lifetime. The library is governed under the purview of the Town of Woodstock and is managed by a team that includes the Town Manager, an elected Board of Trustees serving in an advisory capacity to the town, and the Librarian. An active and dedicated advisory committee joins the trustees and the librarian in planning and carrying out library services, activities, and special projects.

The Whitman Memorial Library was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 12, 1995.