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Howard County Library historical timeline
1940
- Instituted Howard County Library and commenced subsequent search for library housing.
- Opened a Howard County Library in a portable school building in Ellicott City.
1943
- Lenna Baker Burgess appointed Supervisor for the Library at the Brian Building.
1945
- Enactment of MD State Law made the Library eligible for State and County funds.
1952
- A flash flood destroyed 5,175 books; however, within two months the Library reopened.
1958
- The first bookmobile acquired to serve distant citizens.
1960
- The Library moved to rented quarters on the corner of Rte. 144 & St. John's Lane.
1962
- Dedicated first permanent Library building on Frederick Road.
1963
- Marvin Thomas was hired as Howard County Library's first Director.
- Developed a card catalog and began reference services.
- Frederick Road Library began opening six days and four evenings per week and had air conditioning installed.
1966
- Rented space to open small reading center in the Carroll Baldwin Memorial Hall in Savage.
- Began purchasing paperbacks, enlarged hardback collection, and developed pamphlet collection.
- Started offering photocopiers for public use.
1968
- Opened Wilde Lake Branch Library.
1969
- Regularly scheduled programs began in all library locations.
- Opened a community library at Church Road & Main Street in Ellicott City.
1971
- Developed building projections for a Central Library.
1972
- Established a microfilm collection.
- Remodeled interior of Frederick Road Library for public use. Meeting Room became the reading room for the fiction collection.
- Established phonograph record collection.
1974
- Minimobile purchased to serve special populations, institutions, and small residential areas.
- Began services to the homebound.
- Began Sunday hours from September to May at the Frederick Road Library.
- Established audiocassette collection.
1975
- Director formed CLUE (Central Library United Effort) citizen committee to facilitate the Central Library's building process.
1976
- Opened Long Reach Branch Library in rented storefront in the Long Reach Village Center.
- Established TTY service in the Long Reach Library.
1977
- Selected building site for Central Library; Howard Research and Development donated 3.5 acres of land.
- Frederick Road balcony opened; housed fiction collection.
1979
- Began automation and computerization of the Library system.
- Acquired new Bookmobile to service neighborhood stops, day care centers, and institutions.
1980
- Administrative and Support Staff moved to the Central Library.
1981
- The Central Library opened to the public. Features included automated circulation system, an audiovisual area, and a large meeting room available for public use.
- Lisbon Community Library opened on Frederick Road.
- The Library Director created citizen groups to review future library needs
1983
- Babywise service began to loan developmentally appropriate toys for very young children.
1984
- Library offered personal computers for public use.
- Elkridge Community Library opened in a rented storefront along Route 1.
1985
- Lisbon Community Library moved to the Lisbon Center.
- Established videocassette collection.
1986
- Renovated the Charles E. Miller Branch Library (formerly Frederick Road Library). Closed the Church Road Community Library.
1987
- Established compact disc collection.
1989
- The Library introduced INFO-LAN, a stand-alone multi workstation CD-ROM network for public use.
- On-line patron access catalogs available for the public.
- On-line searching (DIALOG and LOGIN) available. Expanded information services.
- Health Information Services established.
- The Mobile Resource Center for Project Literacy began providing one-on-one tutoring programs for adults.
- Easy Access projects began providing materials and services for the deaf, hearing impaired and developmentally disabled.
1990
- Dial-in access to the Library Catalog available.
1991
- Savage Branch Library opened, replacing Savage Community Library that closed along with Bookmobile services.
- INFO-LAN available after hours.
1993
- Elkridge Branch Library opened and Elkridge Community Library closed.
1994
- East Columbia Branch Library opened. Administrative and Support Staff moved to separate offices at East Columbia location.
- Library connects to Internet.
1996
- DataDepot®, the Library's information computer station, opens in The Mall in Columbia.
- Library Director, Marvin Thomas, retired after 33 years with the Library. Norma Hill became the new Director.
- Introduced new Library logo.
- Premier issue of Great Expectations, a quarterly publication of Library programs, news, and resources.
- Library of Congress designated Howard County Library as home of the Maryland Center for the Book.
- Over 8,900 children and teens participated in the Summer Reading Program.
1997
- Celebrated tenth anniversary of Project Literacy.
- Pulitzer prize winner Maxine Kumin read at East Columbia.
- Grant from the Governor's Office of Crime Control Prevention provided funding for multimedia computers with homework products for teens.
1998
- "Mother Goose Asks Why" literature/science program for children introduced, sponsored by the National Science Foundation.
- Library's web site went live: http://www.howa.lib.md.us.
- First fundraiser, Evening in the Stacks, hosted at the East Columbia Branch Library; The Washington Post was the title sponsor.
- Held groundbreaking ceremony for the Glenwood Branch Library.
- Assists Howard County General Hospital in developing the collection for the Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource and Imaging Center.
1999
- Learning Lab, a portable network with six notebook computers, introduced to enhance Library- sponsored web and PC training.
- Outreach program initiated to offer Library services to non-English speakers.
- Maryland Center for the Book launched Write From Maryland Directory of Authors.
- National Book Award winner Alice McDermott appeared at Supper at Six.
- Sponsored The Write Stuff poetry contest for teens, drawing hundreds of entries.
- New five-year Strategic Plan introduced.
2000
- Howard County General Hospital bestowed a major grant to fund children's programming.
- Howard County Library renewed for second term as the home of Maryland Center for the Book.
- Supper at Six featured acclaimed novelist Gail Godwin.
- Central Library closed for renovation.
- Lisbon Community Library closed.
- Opened Glenwood Branch Library to serve western Howard County region; Meeting Room designated "The Pindell Room" to honor western Howard County residents Bill and Betty Pindell.
2001
- Renewed for third term as the home of Maryland Center for the Book.
- DVDs added to the collection.
- Library Director Norma Hill retired after 21 years with the Library, serving the last five years as Director.
- Valerie J. Gross becomes the new Director.
- Supper at Six welcomed nationally known author Sue Miller.
- Central Library reopened after 17-month, $5.37 million renovation.
2002
- Burgess Meeting Room designated at Miller Branch Library in honor of Lenna Baker Burgess, one of Howard County's first librarians.
- Added American Sign Language video collection.
- Award-winning author Elizabeth Berg appeared at Supper at Six.
- Announced A+ Partners in Education initiative between Howard County Library and Howard County Public School System.
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