Happy 100th Birthday, San Diego County Library!

I am proud to join the year-long celebration of the San Diego County Library’s 100^th birthday and to reflect upon its great accomplishments over the past century.

Can you imagine our county without a library system? For much of the county, that was case 100 years ago. At the time, Woodrow Wilson was president and 61,000 people called San Diego County home.

The dream of county libraries began in 1898, when James Gillis—soon to become the California State Librarian—proposed bringing library service to all Californians.

Locally, only a few of our communities—San Diego, Coronado, Escondido, National City and Ramona—operated libraries. All other communities were served by the traveling State Library.

Gillis decided that the only way to bring equal, economical and complete library service to all Californians was to work through the counties. So laws were passed in 1909 and 1911 which allowed county supervisors to establish county library service in areas not covered by city libraries. Cities could choose whether to join the newly-created county system.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors received many petitions for library service. Harriet Eddy, a County Library organizer, traveled the county by stagecoach to push for library service.

On April 5, 1912, the Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution that stated: "Whereas, it is fitting and just for the best interests and welfare of the people of San Diego County that they be given every proper privilege for education, culture, and pleasure, and whereas the establishment of a free library in San Diego County would offer such means for advancement and improvement, therefore be it resolved that a county free library be established."

The county library opened with a budget of $5,284.54. It would be funded by a 5-cents-per-citizen tax and a 2-cent-per-day late fee.

Our first librarian, Jennie Herman, was appointed in February 1913.

One century later, the library has come a long way.

Today, anyone with an iPhone can get an answer to almost any question. But anyone who questions the relevance of a brick-and-mortar library should visit any of the 33 branches at 4 p.m. on a school day. You will see teens clustered all over, quietly studying, utilizing technology and old-fashioned books they may not have access to at home.

Libraries enrich the lives of patrons from toddlers to seniors with stories, lectures, exercise classes and entertainment.

Library branches are temples of learning, hubs of arts and culture, and important community centers. Each branch is unique and each is reflective of the community it serves.

And even though our county library system is 100 years old, it is not set in its ways.  Library workers keep pace with rapid advances in technology. They refresh the collection continually. Floor plans are open and inviting. You can even grab a cup of coffee and take it in with you.

During one century of outstanding service, the library’s mission has remained constant:  to provide free, unencumbered access to information for all. That is still the case.