BCPL History and Genealogy - History of the Catonsville Library page.
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History of the Catonsville Library.
History of the Catonsville Library
Libraries have been important to the community of Catonsville for over a century. In the late 1800s, Library Hall on Frederick Road opposite Egges Lane provided a small book collection, with separate reading rooms for men and women. But it was not free; books were rented for a few cents a day.
In the 1930s need for a free public library was recognized. In 1941 the Catonsville Library Association, Inc., was formed. To fund the library, volunteers went door to door soliciting one dollar from local residents. Donations of books and magazines were welcomed.
On July 1, 1941, the Catonsville Free Public Library opened its doors in a rented building on Frederick Road. By 1945 the book collection numbered 3,625 volumes for adults and 1,276 for children, plus newspapers and periodicals. There was also a branch library at the Banneker School.
The busy library soon outgrew its rented quarters. In 1945 the library association purchased a small brick building at 927 Frederick Road, where library service thrived, breaking previous daily circulation records.
Photograph: The Catonsville library in 1996.
Continued growth necessitated a new location. In 1961, land was purchased at 1100 Frederick Road, where the historical mansion Castle Thunder had once stood. The new Catonsville Area Branch Library, part of the Baltimore County Public Library system, was dedicated in December 1963. The library has flourished at this location for more than 30 years, making changes when needed, to serve the information needs of the community and the county.
The book collection now includes books, DVDs, CDs, talking books, and magazines. Computer catalogs have replaced historical card catalogs, and include a wide range of on-line databases for research.
Full-time and several part-time librarians assist library users in their search for information. An able circulation staff serves the public and keeps materials in order. The Friends of the Catonsville Library, established in 1962, provides continued support to library projects, through generous donations, as well as staffing and maintaining the Catonsville Room.
Photograph: An image of the interior of the Catonsville Room.
One of the special collections available at the Catonsville Public Library is the Catonsville Room. Located on the lower level of the building, it is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers, most from the Friends of the Catonsville Library.
The collection contains information about the history of the town of Catonsville as well as a history of the library. There are old maps, city directories, transcripts of oral histories, yearbooks of the Catonsville High School, and numerous picture collections.
The Catonsville Room is open every Thursday from 2 to 5 PM and on the first Wednesday night of the month from 7 to 8:45 PM. Call ahead to confirm, especially if the weather is bad.
Children's Mural in Catonsville Library Courtyard
Photograph: An image of the mural in the courtyard of the library.
The children's mural in Catonsville Public Library's Heidelbach Memorial Garden is the culmination of a year-and-a-half community project that was spearheaded by the Catonsville Garden Club. The club voted unanimously to invite children from the area to decorate the mural. Then Catonsville Library manager Fran Ware called it "a gift by the children of Catonsville to the people of Catonsville."
Garden Club conservation chairperson Nancy Sandbower proposed the concept and visited eight area schools to solicit participation. Students from Hillcrest, Maiden Choice, Catonsville Middle, Saint Mark's, Westowne, Saint. Agnes, Saint Paul, and Delrey schools helped design the six panels that make up the mural.
Each panel depicts a scene from a children's literature classic and is surrounded by a decorative border of vine cast.
The mural was officially dedicated on June 2, 1996 and can be seen in the Heidelbach Memorial Garden, located in the courtyard of the Catonsville Library. It can easily be seen from windows in the children's area of the library.
Source: Catonsville Library Staff, June 1996
This page is provided by the Baltimore County Public Library, Towson, Maryland USA.
The text version of this page was last revised on
28 August 2008.
The graphics version of this page was last revised on
28 August 2008.
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