Howard County Library System | |
---|---|
Location | Howard County, Maryland |
Type | Public Library |
Established | 1940 |
Branches | 7 [1] |
Other information | |
Website | http://www.hclibrary.org/ |
Howard County Library System (HCLS), established in 1940, is a public library system located in central Maryland. HCLS delivers equal opportunity in education to students of all ages in Howard County, Maryland.
The Charles E. Miller branch is home to the Historical Center and research library, dedicated to preserving Maryland history. The Miller branch works in conjunction with the Howard County Historical Society Museum in Ellicott City, MD.
Fundraising for the first county library was started in 1938 by the Women's Civic Club "Friends of the Library". On October 11, 1940 the first library opened in a portable building in Ellicott City in a ceremony with a speech by Baltimore Judge Joseph N. Ulman. [2] It moved shortly after to a rented building above a meat store on Main street. At this time James A. Clark, Sr. petitioned the county commissioners to add two cents to the tax rate to fund the library. [3]
In 1952 a flood washed out the library, and in 1960 the library moved to Frederick Road and St. Johns Lane. George Morrision funded a new library in 1962 in the corner of the historic family owned Gray Rock slave plantation was donated by Charles E. Miller who was attempting to create a housing subdivision. In 1965, a bookmobile serviced stops at Savage, Glenwood, and Glenelg. In [4] The Savage Branch opens in the historic Carroll Baldwin Hall in 1966. [5] In 1968, the Rouse Company signed an agreement to have the Howard County Library System lease one of its buildings for five years at an expense of $5,511 a year with the Columbia Association property assessments paying for furnishings. [6] On January 4, 1981 the $4 million Central Branch opened in Columbia, becoming a facility with the 2nd highest number of items loaned in the county at the time with a computer system named "Gandalf". [7]
In 1984, the Miller Branch received a $3 million expansion from 7000sqft to 22,000sqft. and the Central Branch deploys two microcomputers available to residents who take a two-hour training lesson. [8] In 1989, $1 million was budgeted to buy land for the $6.3 million 33,600 sqft East Columbia Branch, to be opened in 1991. [9] In 2011, a new 63,000sqft HCLS Miller Branch & Historical Center replaces the adjacent 22,000sqft facility next to it. In 2013, Howard County Library System was named 2013 Library of the Year by Gale and Library Journal. [10]
In July 2014, the HCLS Savage Branch & STEM Education Center completed a $6.1 million renovation. The renovation doubled the size of the library, taking it to 24,000 sqft. The branch now focuses on STEM related activities, adding valuable classroom space and added outdoor STEM implemented garden that showcases STEM principles at work. [11]
In October 2023, Howard County announced the purchase of a 16.5 acre site adjacent to the East Columbia Branch to enhance and expand the park. The property was purchased for $415,000 using the Program Open Space funding provided by the state. Redevelopment plans include redeveloping the three existing fields into two baseball fields, two basketball courts, a playground, and a pavilion. The project also includes stormwater bio-retention facilities and landscaping work, construction is expected to begin in spring of 2024 and conclude the year following. [12]
Any person who lives, works, or pays property taxes in Maryland is entitled to obtain a library card at no charge from any county or Baltimore City. They may either obtain a separate card from each jurisdiction or authorize a library card from a different public library system in Maryland to be used there. Also, Maryland counties adjoining the state line will authorize persons living in cities and counties in the state that borders that Maryland county, to obtain a library card at no charge usable in that county only, as long as that jurisdiction in the other state provides reciprocal free library privileges for the residents of that county in Maryland. For example, Prince George's and Montgomery counties will allow reciprocal library privileges with residents of the District of Columbia and nearby counties and cities in Virginia, however, Baltimore would not offer this privilege. Where a non-resident does not qualify for a free card, they may obtain one from any county by paying a yearly fee of $50 to each county they want one from.
Howard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,529. Since there are no incorporated municipalities, there is no incorporated county seat either. Therefore, its county seat is the unincorporated community of Ellicott City. Howard County is part of the larger Washington–Baltimore combined statistical area. The county is part of the Central Maryland region of the state.
Columbia is a census-designated place in Howard County, Maryland, United States. It is a planned community consisting of 10 self-contained villages. The census-designated place had a population of 104,681 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous community in Maryland after Baltimore. Columbia, located between Baltimore and Washington, D.C., is officially part of the Baltimore metropolitan area.
Elkridge is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Howard County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,593 at the 2010 census. Founded early in the 18th century, Elkridge is adjacent to two other counties, Anne Arundel and Baltimore.
Ellicott City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in, and the county seat of, Howard County, Maryland, United States. Part of the Baltimore metropolitan area, its population was 75,947 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous unincorporated county seat in the country.
Guilford is an unincorporated community located in Howard County in the state of Maryland. The location is named after the Guilford Mill. Guilford is near Kings Contrivance, one of the nine "villages" of Columbia.
Savage is an unincorporated community and census-designated place located in Howard County, Maryland, United States, approximately 18 miles (29 km) south of Baltimore and 21 miles (34 km) north of Washington, D.C. It is situated close to the city of Laurel and to the planned community of Columbia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,542. The former mill town is a registered historic place, and has several original buildings preserved within and around the Savage Mill Historic District.
Howard County General Hospital is a 225-bed, not-for-profit health care provider located in Columbia, Maryland.
The Fairfax County Public Library (FCPL) is a public library system in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It includes eight regional libraries, 14 community libraries and the Access Services Library Branch, which removes barriers to library services for people with disabilities. FCPL is headquartered in Suite 324 of the Fairfax County Government Center in Fairfax County.
The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is the school district that manages and runs the public schools of Howard County, Maryland. It operates under the supervision of an elected, eight-member Board of Education. Jennifer Mallo is the chair of the board. William J. Barnes has been the acting superintendent since January 2024.
Howard High School is a public high school located in Ellicott City, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Howard County Public School System, and serves families from Ellicott City, Elkridge, Hanover and Columbia, Maryland.
Maryland Route 103 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 8.29 miles (13.34 km) from St. Johns Lane in Ellicott City east to Parkway Drive South in Hanover. MD 103 serves as the local complement to MD 100 from Ellicott City in northeastern Howard County through Dorsey to Hanover in northwestern Anne Arundel County. The state highway was constructed from U.S. Route 1 in Elkridge to US 29 in Ellicott City in the 1920s. MD 103's eastern terminus was relocated from Elkridge to US 1 near Dorsey in 1956. When MD 100 was constructed between Glen Burnie and Ellicott City in the 1990s, the state highway was extended to its present western and eastern termini. MD 103 replaced MD 176 from US 1 east to near MD 295.
Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL), established in 1948, is a public library system located in central Maryland and headquartered in Towson, Maryland BCPL serves Baltimore County, Maryland, which surrounds but does not include the city of Baltimore. Still, occasionally the two library systems share resources and expertise.
Charles E. Miller (1902–1979) was an American politician and businessman in Howard County, Maryland
Norman E. Moxley (1905-1995) was an American politician and businessman in Howard County, Maryland
The Prince George's County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) is the public library system of Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, in the Washington metropolitan area. Its headquarters are in the Largo-Kettering Branch in Largo.
Regional Transportation Agency of Central Maryland, locally referred to as the RTA, is a transit organization providing fixed-route and paratransit services across Central Maryland. The RTA is made up of multiple jurisdictions including Anne Arundel County, Howard County, the City of Laurel, Northern Prince George's County, and Baltimore County.
The Howard County Times is a weekly newspaper serving Howard County, Maryland, USA.
The Howard County Courthouse is a historic building in Ellicott City, Maryland that was the courthouse for Howard County's Circuit Court from 1843 to 2021.
The Lee County Library System was founded in 1964 and is composed of 13 branches which serve Lee County, Florida, United States. Olive Stout, who arrived in Fort Myers in 1886, started the town's first reading room and was pivotal in founding its first library. Around 1955, the city moved the library into a small one-room building. The Lee County Library System's mission is to strengthen the community by informing and enriching individuals.