The West Ashley Library was erected at the rear of the South Windermere Shopping Center on land donated to Charleston County by South Windermere Realtors through William H. Ackerman. Constructed by County Council with $70,000 in county funds, the library opened on April 20, 1964. Civic clubs and individuals, including the St. Andrew's Council of Civic Clubs, promoted the building of the branch library. Enlarged in 1971, the West Ashley Library is in a very real sense a community library and is one of the most popular places in the area.