The Lower Merion Library System (LMLS) is the
public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants.
There are ...
system of the
township of
Lower Merion, in
Pennsylvania. It is among the largest public library systems in Pennsylvania. While Lower Merion accounts for 7% of the population of
Montgomery County Montgomery County may refer to:
Australia
* The former name of Montgomery Land District, Tasmania
United Kingdom
* The historic county of Montgomeryshire, Wales, also called County of Montgomery
United States
* Montgomery County, Alabama
* Mon ...
, it accounts for 20% of its library circulation.
The library is ranked in the top 2% of public libraries for circulation per capita.
History
There are six neighborhood branches throughout the township. The first branch to open was the Ardmore Free Library in 1899,
and Belmont Hills being the newest, opening in 1935. The largest branch is the Ludington Library with almost 168,000 items in circulation. The smallest branch is Belmont Hills, with almost 17,000 items available.
Lower Merion Library System's governing board is the Board of Directors, consisting of 14 members, some of whom serve
ex-officio due to being commissioners on the Lower Merion Board of Commissioners.
The Lower Merion Library is one of the independent public library systems in Montgomery County. All cardholders can borrow and utilize library systems from any other library in the Montgomery County library system. In addition, cardholders can request access to Access Pennsylvania which allows for privileges at many other library systems throughout the Commonwealth, including the
Free Library of Philadelphia in neighboring
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. Lower Merion Library System cardholders can also utilize
Overdrive
Overdrive may refer to:
Organizations
* OverDrive, Inc., a digital distributor of entertainment media
** OverDrive Media Console, a media player developed by OverDrive, Inc.
* Overdrive PC, a subsidiary of Velocity Micro
Technology
* Overdrive ( ...
, Zinio and
Hoopla for e-books, magazines and video-recordings.
Approximately 85% of LMLS' funding comes from Lower Merion, with the remainder coming from the State and individual branch libraries funding efforts.
See also
References
External links
*
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Education in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Public libraries in Pennsylvania
Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania