San Diego Public Library
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Central Library
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| Established | 1882 |
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| Branches | 35 |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 7,200,000 |
| Population served | 1.3 million |
| Other information | |
| Director | Misty Jones |
| Website | Official website |
The San Diego Public Library is a public library system serving the city of San Diego, California.
The San Diego Public Library was established on May 19, 1882, by an elected board of library trustees, one of whom was civic leader and philanthropist George Marston. The first location was rented space in the Commercial Bank building at Fifth and G streets, and the new library opened its doors to the public for the first time on July 15, 1882. San Diego was the first city west of the Mississippi River to receive a Carnegie Library grant. The grant was received in 1899 and the library built in 1902. The library moved to Eighth and E streets where the new Carnegie Library was constructed.
A notable librarian during this period was Clara Estelle Breed (1906–1994), who served as children's librarian at the downtown branch and was appointed City Librarian in 1945, a post she held for 25 years. She founded numerous branch libraries and established the Serra Cooperative Library System, which allows users to borrow books from other libraries in San Diego and Imperial counties. She maintained contact with many Japanese American children when they were interned with their families during World War II; her correspondence with those children is now on display at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
In 1952, the Carnegie Library was demolished and a new Central Library was opened at the same location on June 27, 1954. That library closed permanently on June 9, 2013, to begin the 10-week process of transferring its 2.6-million-item collection to the new library. Over the years, many branch libraries have also been opened throughout the City.
In 2010, construction began on a new $184.9 million 366,673 square feet (34,065.0 m2) Central Library at 330 Park Boulevard in downtown San Diego. This 9-story structure was designed by San Diego architect Rob Quigley. It is topped with an iconic steel-and-mesh lattice dome over a two-story reading room. It opened on September 30, 2013. The library displays numerous books and collections, including the second largest collection of baseball memorabilia in the U.S.
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Wikipedia