Virginia Beach Kempsville Area Library

A History of the Kempsville Library

The Kempsville Area Library is built on the site of the historic "Bellamy Manor" Plantation, circa 1715-1959. The 9.7 acres of land was sold to the City of Virginia Beach in 1967 for $50,000.

On April 29, 1969 the Kempsville Area Library first opened its doors. Appropriately, the event took place during National Library Week. The building was 6,000 square feet and opened with a collection of 7,000 volumes to serve a population of 20,000 in the Kempsville area. At that time, the Kempsville Area Library was the fourth branch of the Virginia Beach Public Library System.

As the Kempsville population grew, so did the business at the library. The year 1984 brought 239,400 visits to the Kempsville Area Library alone! By 1985, the library was serving a population of more than 65,000 and housed a collection of 53,000 volumes.

By August 1986, plans for a new library building came to fruition. The original library building would become the Fourth Precinct police station. The community participated in planning the new building. A survey of library users helped determine the features that the residents felt were important.

Ground Breaking ceremonies were held on October 20, 1988. The construction of the building began almost immediately and its entire outside structure was completed in just a matter of months! In January 1990 the new Kempsville Area Library opened, ready and eager to serve the residents of Kempsville!

The year 2006 finds the Kempsville Library in the midst of exciting renovation plans. Architects have begun design considerations to update the library and to bring several new and innovative services to our customers. As the plan unfolds, we will keep you up-to-date on the exciting progress.