History

1923: Group of 4 patrons stand outside the original Morris County Library.

Morris County Library, for close to a century, has grown from traveling bookmobile to books, media and the Internet. Read our  full timeline(PDF, 593KB), or check out highlights below:

  • The Morris County Library (MCL) began operations in 1922, a year after Morris County residents voted to support a library. (See October 6, 1921 statement(PDF, 244KB) from the library committee on benefits to the community in a yes vote for new taxes, November 1921.)
    • Miss Edith L. Smith was hired as County Librarian, beginning work on July 1, 1922.
    • By the end of the year, 10,087 books had been catalogued and 99 library stations had been set up in country stores, schools and town libraries.
    • A library car was purchased to travel throughout the county, delivering books to the stations and 83,000 residents.
  • Cars parked in front of the Morris County Library, 1968 On November 18, 1968, MCL moved from the county courthouse in Morristown, to its present location on Hanover Avenue.
  • In 2000, a two-story addition was put on the front of the building. The old building was completely renovated to provide County residents with a 21st century facility. 

Today, MCL serves nearly 500,000 people and joins with municipal libraries in Morris, Hunterdon, Somerset and Warren counties through the Main Library Alliance.

A history of the County Library is available in our collection.

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