The first library in Plainfield Village was established in 1805. In 1920 Edmund S. Read wished to honor his father and at the same time provide the people of Plainfield with their own library building. Mr. Read constructed the Philip Read Memorial Library and then offered the library to the town. The original brick Georgian Revival style building has never been altered. However, library use and services outgrew the facility, and an addition to the library was built in 2004. In 2016, an expansion was completed to include a meeting room in the basement.