An election in April 1946 established the St. Louis County Library District, which began with a loaned office on the third floor of the old Normandy High School, staffed with a library director and a secretary.
In 1947, the first library building opened, quickly followed by two more branches in North St. Louis County. In the years since, St. Louis County Library (SLCL) underwent a building boom with the construction of branches across the county’s 524 square miles.
Today, it is the busiest public library system in Missouri, with 600 employees, 20 state-of-the-art branches and a collection of more than 1.8 million items. It has also evolved to become more than just a place to borrow books: The St. Louis County Library serves as a vital community resource for the county’s 860,000 residents with personalized learning programs, a nationally acclaimed authors’ series, access to technology and other e-resources, summer lunches, support for seniors and other services.
“Our role is to adapt and change and evolve to support the community with our programs, services and materials,” said Kristen Sorth, St. Louis County Library director and CEO. “We provide resources to move people forward in life. The physical space of the library is a place where everyone is welcome, and we actively seek out ways to support people who cannot visit our branches through meaningful outreach and creative solutions to community needs.”
To commemorate its anniversary milestone, SLCL has launched a 75 Things To Do at SLCL challenge. The online contest has participants completing three activities in each of five available categories for a chance to win a $75 Visa gift card. Historical talks, trivia, scavenger hunts, giveaways and other special events are also on tap for the remainder of the year.
There’s plenty more to celebrate: Earlier this year, St. Louis County Library received the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor granted to a select few for significant and exceptional contributions to their community. SLCL also launched a shared catalog with the St. Louis Public Library, giving cardholders across the region access to almost 5 million items.
Construction has also begun on the Clark Family Branch, the final project in SLCL’s Your Library Renewed campaign. The building will replace the former headquarters location on South Lindbergh Boulevard.
In the last two years, the library has had to adapt and transform itself to respond to the community’s needs during the pandemic. This year saw the return of more traditional services at SLCL such as author events and in-person programming.
“I am excited that we are offering in-person programming again,” Sorth said. “It is really great to see patrons return to the library to attend these programs and to check out books. I am also really excited for construction to begin on the new Clark Family Branch in Ladue.”
Sorth adds she is looking forward to a number of new library initiatives, including the addition of social workers to five locations this fall, and the upcoming St. Louis Storytelling Festival, one of the largest free storytelling festivals in the world. This marks the first time SLCL is host to the festival, which will be held Oct. 13 to 22 at venues throughout the St. Louis region.
For information on SLCL’s 75th anniversary events and more, visit slcl.org/75.
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