History

The first Salt Lake County Library Board was established in 1938. One year later, in 1939, The County Library began operations in two classrooms of the old Midvale School.

The County Library quickly gained popularity and within four months of opening, between January and April 1939, they had issued library cards to more than 1,700 patrons.

The success of The County Library within the old Midvale School resulted in the inclusion of small libraries in several schools across Salt Lake County.

On August 9, 1941, a grand opening of the Midvale Library Headquarters was held.

As population in Salt Lake County grew, so did the interest in community public libraries. The County Library responded to the interest and, by 1972, we were the largest public library system in Utah with 11 buildings, 132 employees and more than 125,000 library cards issued.

By 1974 the administrative offices of The County Library had outgrown their space in Midvale and moved headquarters to the Whitmore Location.

In 1989, in celebration of The County Library’s 50 year anniversary, Carolyn Campbell and Evelyn Tuddenham published A historical retrospective of the Salt Lake County Library System: in celebration of fifty years of public service, 1939-1989.

On June 2, 2012, The County Library held a grand opening for the eco-friendly West Jordan location and Library’s Viridian Event Center in West Jordan. The building houses a 20,000 square foot library, a 7,000 square foot event center for use by library patrons and community events, and library administration.

In 2014, The County Library celebrated 75 years of service.

The County Library remains the largest public library system in Utah with 18 locations throughout Salt Lake County, two reading rooms – Alta and Byington (South Main Clinic), as well as a location in the Salt Lake County Jail. The Library is one of the busiest in the nation, checking out more than 16 million items a year.