Weber County Library System

History

On January 22, 1864, the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah created the first Ogden Library Board. Because there was no provision allowing local governments to levy a specific tax in support of a public library, local businessmen and public-spirited citizens provided funding for Ogden's first library [1].

While it is true that library service in Ogden City had its beginnings in the 1860s, it was not until 1903 that the Ogden Carnegie Free Library, the first public library building in Utah, opened its doors. In 1968 the Weber County Main Library was dedicated, and the Carnegie Free Library's rich historical collection became the core resource of this new flagship of Utah's first county wide system. This collection has since been systematically enhanced, facilities added, and innovative programs have been created and honed to continually improve services to area residents [2].

Today, the WCLS, like its predecessor, serves the community not as a circulating library specializing in popular reading materials, but as a community reference, information, and literacy center. The WCLS has also evolved into a regional resource center, serving residents of six northern Utah counties [3].

One of the Weber County Library's primary strengths is its periodical collection. This unique collection has a continuous run of titles from Pooles Index, and the indices that superseded it, from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. The facility houses an extensive collection of materials on local and state history, and an in-depth selection of fiction works by Utah and regional authors. The Main Library also maintains a non-circulating Special Collection that contains thousands of important, unique, and mostly out-of-print titles on topics of importance to Utah and the West.

The WCLS serves a population of approximately 213,000 Weber County residents [4], with interlocal agreements, extending access to 330,000 residents in surrounding counties. The WCLS consists of a Main Library and a Public Law Library in Ogden, and three Branch Libraries located in surrounding cities. Two additional branch libraries are planned in the next few years.

The Library has approximately 100 staff members and an annual operating budget of just over $6,500,000. The WCLS is also supported by an active Friends of the Library organization; a potent Development Foundation, which provides money for capital projects; and a dedicated corps of more than 125 volunteers who work side-by-side with the staff as literacy tutors, library specialists, and maintenance staff.

Law Library

The Weber County Law Library is Utah's largest public law library north of Salt Lake City. The Law Library collection, which is almost entirely non-circulating, is primarily used for reference and research. Its holdings include state and federal appellate case reporters, legal encyclopedias, federal and state statutes, and a representative collection of major legal treatises. The Law Library has a unique historical collection of case law reporters that extend back to the 1880s, and also supports access to state-of-the-art online legal databases.

Main Library

The Main Library is located in Ogden and serves as the administrative hub for the Library system. It houses the majority of the reference collection for the system and serves as a branch library for the communities that surround it. Its primary service areas are the cities of Ogden, South Ogden, Washington Terrace, and areas south to the county line, comprising approximately 92,000 people.

North Ogden Branch

The North Ogden Branch opened in 1983. It serves the communities in northern Weber County including North Ogden, Farr West, Plain City, Pleasant View, and Harrisville. The service area has a population of approximately 43,000 people. The majority of the areas served by the branch are suburban and rural residential, with a growing number of retail businesses. The Library is located near the primary shopping area in the northern part of the county, and is next door to a senior center and the North Ogden City Hall. An 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m²) unfinished basement at the branch serves as the primary storage area for the Weber County Library System.

Ogden Valley Branch

The Ogden Valley Branch opened in 1995 and serves the mostly unincorporated area located east of Ogden, as well as the towns of Huntsville, Eden, and Liberty. The year-round population is less than 5,000. The communities served are rural, including working farms and ranches, vacation homes, recreational businesses, and residential developments. The branch serves as a combination rural library and community center, with a large auditorium and adjoining community room.

Pleasant Valley Branch

This branch opened in April 2009. To more efficiently meet this explosive demand for multi-faceted, Library services in Weber County, the Pleasant Valley Branch and Community Center was constructed. The building is home of dynamic collections and vital information services, and provides state-of-the-art venues to host a broad range of events including, but not limited to, film screenings, music and dance presentations, folk arts festivals, and art and interactive museum exhibits.

Southwest Branch

The Southwest Branch opened in 1977 and serves the communities of Hooper, Roy, and West Haven, with a combined population of approximately 57,000. It is located in a heavily populated residential and commercial area, with a high school, junior high, and a number of elementary schools only a few blocks away. The Southwest Branch collection was extensively updated in the late 1990s and is in good overall condition. It currently is at capacity and has minimal room for additional growth.