Harford County Public Library

Harford County Public Library is a public library serving Harford County, Maryland. It has 11 branches, an administrative office, and 2 outreach vehicles. 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 Maryland 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, DVDs, 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.

Awards
In 2023, Harford County Public Library received an American Inhouse Design Award from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) for the design of the graphics on its Traveling Library outreach vehicles. This is the third time the Library has received an honor from GDUSA since 2018.

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

Bel Air
Bel Air Branch Library (Bel Air, Harford County, Maryland) 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: 	50000 sqft.

 Collection: 	255,277   as of 7/2008

 Circulation 	FY 07 - 1,028,419

Meeting Room: 	1404 sqft. (3 rooms at 468 sqft)

Abingdon
Abingdon Branch Library (Abingdon, Maryland) opened May 17, 2004.

 Location: 	2510 S. Tollgate Road, Bel Air, MD 21015

 Size: 	35000 sqft.

 Collection: 	173,822    as of 7/2008

 Circulation: 	FY07 - 879,818

Meeting Room: 	1058 sq ft (2 rooms 529 sqft)

Aberdeen
Aberdeen Branch Library (Aberdeen, Maryland) opened in its present location in 1974.

 Location: 	21 Franklin Street, Aberdeen, MD 21001

 Size: 	14000 sqft.

 Collection: 	96,300   as of 7/2008

 Circulation: 	FY 07 - 320,124

Meeting Room: 	750 sqft.

Edgewood
Edgewood Branch Library (Edgewood, Maryland) 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: 	       16500 sqft.

Collection: 	92,168  as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY 07 - 248,445

Meeting Room: 	720 sqft. (2 rooms 360 sqft)

Fallston
Fallston Branch Library (Fallston, Maryland) opened in December 1984 as the Fallston/Jarrettsville Branch, now serving primarily the Fallston area.

 Location: 	1461 Fallston Road, Fallston, MD 21047

Size: 	13400 sqft

Collection: 	92,608  as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY 07 - 308,628

Meeting Room: 	760 sqft.

Joppa
Joppa Branch Library (Joppa, Maryland) opened in 1980.

Location: 	655 Towne Center Drive, Joppa, MD 21085

Size: 	       14000 sqft.

Collection: 	74,931  as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY 07 - 202,028

Meeting Room: 	832 sqft.

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:	       8520 sqft.

Collection: 	62,952  as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY 07 - 220,867

Meeting Room: 	95 sqft.

Whiteford
Whiteford Branch Library (Whiteford, Maryland) opened on June 23, 1992 was renovated and expanded in 2010.

Location: 	2407 Whiteford Road, MD 21160

Size:	       7300 sqft.

Collections: 	56,685   as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY 07 - 208,362

Meeting Room: 	558 sqft.

Jarrettsville
Jarrettsville Branch Library (Jarrettsville, Maryland) opened May 1, 2006.

Location: 	3722 Norrisville Road, Jarrettsivlle, MD 21084

Size: 	       14000 sqft.

Collection: 	67,992    as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY07 - 282,345

Meeting Room: 	1036 sqft.

Norrisville
Norrisville Branch Library (Norrisville, Maryland) opened at its present location on February 1, 2003.

Location: 	5310 Norrisville Road, White Hall, MD 21161

Size: 	       4000 sqft.

Collection: 	35,619   as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY 07 - 104,856

Meeting Room: 	800 sqft. 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: 	       576 sqft.

Collection: 	17,741   as of 7/2008

Circulation: 	FY 07 - 51,500

Meeting Room: 	none

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