History of the Lansdale Public Library

First building

First building

The Lansdale Public Library opened on August 25, 1928, with 1,000 books available to the public for circulation. It was located in one room of the borough building on Courtland and Montgomery Streets. Members of the Lansdale Women's Club and others donated their time, books, and money to start the library. The library was supported by a $1 membership fee and donations. Volunteers staffed the circulation desk, and a schoolteacher was employed part-time to classify books. On April 6, 1946, the library expanded into a second room. Lansdale voters approved a one-mil tax support in 1955 for the library's annual budget.
Second building

Second building

Due to large increases in materials and usage, a new building was erected at Vine Street and Montgomery Avenue in 1958. The cost of $68,759 was completely paid through donations, mostly from a bequest by Walter L. Sanborn. The library opened on September 2, 1958, with 11,000 volumes and 46 magazine subscriptions.
Third building

Third building

As the library collection and circulation continued to grow, the library board once again considered expanding. A decision was made to give Lansdale Borough the old library building ($85,000) in exchange for a former Acme Supermarket Building ($105,000) that could be renovated to house the library. The former library was converted into the Lansdale Police Department. The $150,000 cost to renovate the building, which tripled the library's former size, was paid for by memorials. Lansdale Public Library moved into its present location, at 301 Vine Street, on April 20, 1972, with 27,000 materials.
Current building

Current building

The library was again renovated in 1997 to add more space for a larger children's and teen section. Nearly half of the million-dollar cost for renovation was paid for through donations; the other half was paid through a bank loan. The library is now being supported by Lansdale Borough appropriations and through borough taxes. The Lansdale Public Library's collection now contains 62,761 materials, of which 5,962 are videos, audiobooks, CDs, and DVDs. The library also subscribes to 166 magazines and 6 newspapers as well as 23 databases. The library automated the circulation system and created an interactive web page in 2002. A section was created for three children's computers in 2004, and in 2005 a wi-fi network was added. There are currently 14 employees and 15 computers for patron use.

Librarians

1st paid librarian Carol Weinert 1952
1st full-time librarian Elva May Smith 1952–1960
Successor librarian Mrs. Richard C. Mallery 1960–1967
1st librarian to serve as director  Peter Manakos 1968–1997
2nd library director Debbie Ahrens 1998–2000
3rd library director Anne M. Frank 2000–2008
4th library director Tom Meyer 2008–

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