In June 1945, Harford 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.
In the 50 years since the founding, the system has grown prodigiously to include 9 branches (plus one in construction and one in design phase) and an administration and support services building. In 2003, annual circulation of materials surpassed 2,750,000. Today, the Harford County Public Library serves more than 174,000 registered borrowers.
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, recordings, cassettes, magazines, newspapers, video tapes, public meeting rooms, large-type books, compact discs, CD ROM's, puzzles, puppets, oral history, films, copy machines, audiovisual equipment, public access computer catalogs with printers, microfilm reader- printer, children and adult programs, information services, reading development materials, an online community information directory, Internet access, health information, tax assistance, and volunteer opportunities.
