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.

history of the County Library is available in our collection.