Harford County Public Library is a public library serving Harford County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

. It has 11 branches (plus one in design phase) and an administration and support services building. The library has an annual circulation of over 4 million materials and serves more than 174,000 registered borrowers.

History

In June 1945, Harford County became the first county in

to implement the new tax-supported Public Library Law. By January 1946, the first Harford County Board of Library Trustees was formed and the old Methodist Church Building on Main Street in Bel Air was bought to provide headquarters for the County library system. At this time work is being done to build a new Library facility in the City of Havre de Grace. The Harford County Public Library borrower's card is free and available to a person of any age. Included in the services and materials that the library offers to the community are: books, eBooks, sound recordings, audio books, eAudiobooks, Playaways, magazines, newspapers, video games, public meeting rooms, large-type books,

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

s, compact discs, STEM kits, puzzles, puppets, oral history, films, copy machines, public access computer catalogs with printers, microfilm reader- printer, children and adult programs, information services, Internet access, health information, tax assistance, and volunteer opportunities. For this past fiscal year, HCPL reached the circulation of 4.1 million library items.

Branches

The library has eleven service outlets, listed here by collection size.

Bel Air

Bel Air Branch Library (

Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland The town of Bel Air is the county seat of Harford County, Maryland. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town was 10,661. History Bel Air's identity has gone through several incarnations since 1780. Aquilla Scott, ...

) has been the largest branch in the system since its beginning in 1947. The building was constructed in 1960 and renovated and expanded in 1967. A second renovation and expansion occurred in 1998. The Children's Section was renovated in 2016. The Learning and Sharing Center collection is housed in Bel Air Branch. .
Location: 100 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Bel Air, MD 21014
Size: .
Collection: 255,277 as of 7/2008
Circulation FY 07 - 1,028,419
Meeting Room: . (3 rooms at )

Abingdon

Abingdon Branch Library (

Abingdon, Maryland Abingdon is a census-designated place in Harford County, Maryland, United States. It lies northeast of Baltimore on Maryland Route 7, near the Bush River, between Exits 77 ( MD 24) and 80 ( MD 543) of Interstate 95. Demographics History Abi ...

) opened May 17, 2004.
Location: 2510 S. Tollgate Road, Bel Air, MD 21015
Size: .
Collection: 173,822 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY07 - 879,818
Meeting Room: 1058 sq ft (2 rooms )

Aberdeen

Aberdeen Branch Library (

Aberdeen, Maryland Aberdeen is a city located in Harford County, Maryland, United States, northeast of Baltimore. The population was 16,254 at the 2020 United States Census. Aberdeen is the largest municipality in Harford County. Aberdeen is part of the Baltimor ...

) opened in its present location in 1974.
Location: 21 Franklin Street, Aberdeen, MD 21001
Size: .
Collection: 96,300 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 320,124
Meeting Room: .

Edgewood

Edgewood Branch Library (

Edgewood, Maryland Edgewood is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 25,562 at the 2010 census, up from 23,378 in 2000. Geography Edgewood is located in southwestern Harford Coun ...

) opened in 1962 and was renovated and expanded in 1979. A second renovation and expansion occurred in 2001.
Location: 629 Edgewood Road, Edgewood, MD 21040
Size: .
Collection: 92,168 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 248,445
Meeting Room: . (2 rooms )

Fallston

Fallston Branch Library (

Fallston, Maryland Fallston is a census-designated place (CDP) in Harford County, Maryland, United States. The population was 8,958 at the 2010 census, up from 8,427 in 2000. Fallston is a semi-rural community consisting mostly of farms and suburban-like develop ...

) opened in December 1984 as the Fallston/Jarrettsville Branch, now serving primarily the Fallston area.
Location: 1461 Fallston Road, Fallston, MD 21047
Size:
Collection: 92,608 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 308,628
Meeting Room: .

Joppa

Joppa Branch Library (

Joppa, Maryland Joppa is a former colonial town and current planning region of Harford County, Maryland, United States. Joppa was founded as a British settlement on the Gunpowder River in 1707 and designated as the third county seat of Baltimore County in 1712. T ...

) opened in 1980.
Location: 655 Towne Center Drive, Joppa, MD 21085
Size: .
Collection: 74,931 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 202,028
Meeting Room: .

Havre de Grace

Havre de Grace Branch Library ( Havre de Grace, Maryland) opened in its present location in 1987 and was rebuilt in 2015.
Location: 120 N. Union Avenue, Havre de Grace, MD 21078
Size: .
Collection: 62,952 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 220,867
Meeting Room: .

Whiteford

Whiteford Branch Library ( Whiteford, Maryland) opened on June 23, 1992 was renovated and expanded in 2010.
Location: 2407 Whiteford Road, MD 21160
Size: .
Collections: 56,685 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 208,362
Meeting Room: .

Jarrettsville

Jarrettsville Branch Library ( Jarrettsville, Maryland) opened May 1, 2006.
Location: 3722 Norrisville Road, Jarrettsivlle, MD 21084
Size: .
Collection: 67,992 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY07 - 282,345
Meeting Room: .

Norrisville

Norrisville Branch Library ( Norrisville, Maryland) opened at its present location on February 1, 2003.
Location: 5310 Norrisville Road, White Hall, MD 21161
Size: .
Collection: 35,619 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 104,856
Meeting Room: . shared with Parks and Recreation

Darlington

Darlington Branch Library ( Darlington, Maryland) moved to its present location in 1979. A new location is under construction.
Location: 1134 Main Street, Darlington, MD 21034
Size: .
Collection: 17,741 as of 7/2008
Circulation: FY 07 - 51,500
Meeting Room: none

Other services

Rolling Reader

The Rolling Reader is one of many outreach services the Library provides to Harford County residents. The Rolling Reader promotes reading for pleasure, visiting after school programs that target at-risk children in grades K through 8.
Service Began: January 2001
FY07 Circulation: 4,075
Collection Size: 9,688 as of 7/2008

Silver Reader

The Silver Reader, a mobile library vehicle, will begin visiting Senior Centers, Senior Housing, Assisted Living Facilities and Nursing Homes throughout the county later this spring. The vehicle is equipped with a lift so customers in wheelchairs will be able to board the vehicle and choose materials for themselves, with help from library staff if they like. At facilities where some customers may need more assistance, the Silver Reader staff can take materials inside for customers to review and check out.
Service Began: March 2006
Annual Circulation - 6,365
Collection Size: 4,695 as of 7/2008

Harford County Detention Center

FY07 Circulation: 18,825

External links

Harford County Public Library
{{authority control Public libraries in Maryland Buildings and structures in Harford County, Maryland Education in Harford County, Maryland Libraries established in 1946 1946 establishments in Maryland