![]() Doris Hopkins, a Seattle Public Library staff member, was given six months leave of absence to help King County select books to order.Įlla McDowell, a Seattle Public Library reference librarian for the previous 12 years, was the King County Rural Library District's first director. King County library staff, meanwhile, began ordering new books that would form the county's own collection. The contract went into effect on September 1, 1943, giving residents of rural King County the immediate opportunity to access the collection of what was at the time the largest public library in the Pacific Northwest. On June 14, 1943, the King County Rural Library District and the Seattle Public Library entered into a contract that allowed all county library patrons to utilize all services of all branches of the Seattle Public Library, including interlibrary loans. Recently retired from a long tenure as head librarian at the Seattle Public Library, Jennings brought a wealth of experience to the position. Jennings (1873-1948) chaired the five-member library board. On January 11, 1943, as required by state law, the Board of Commissioners appointed a board of library trustees. The King County Board of Commissioners established the King County Rural Library District on January 4, 1943, as directed by a majority vote of rural residents of the county on November 3, 1942. Part 1 of this two-part history tells the story of KCLS from its establishment through the end of the twentieth century. Successful bond issues, individual community decisions to annex to the library system, and a massive library-construction effort in the 1990s resulted in a growing library system serving its patrons in continually evolving ways, upholding its stated mission of providing free, open, and equal access to ideas and information to all members of the community. Since its inception, KCLS has been funded by property taxes, and as the county population has increased so have these tax revenues. ![]() Established in 19 by King County voters and the Board of County Commissioners as the King County Rural Library District, the system was initially composed of small rural libraries run largely by volunteers. ![]() It is among the busiest library systems in the United States. The King County Library System (KCLS) operates libraries in communities throughout King County (outside Seattle), a variety of mobile outreach services, a library within the King County Youth Services Center, a shipping-and-handling facility, and an administrative service center.
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