Harford County Public Library
A Maryland county library system tracing to an 1885 Bel Air reading room, now operating 11 branches with more than 187,000 registered borrowers, independently covered by regional and trade press for its pandemic response, digital-literacy programs and longtime CEO Mary Hastler.
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- Established
- 1885 (as the Bel Air Circulating Library); reorganized 1912; current system dates to 1946
- Location
- Harford County, Maryland, United States
- Country
- United States
- CEO
- Mary Hastler, since 2010
- Branches
- 11, throughout Harford Countystated by the subject
- Registered borrowers
- More than 187,000 (as of 2015)
- Annual circulation
- More than 4.4 million items (as of 2015)
- Governance
- Harford County Library Board of Trustees, assuming control of the system in 1946stated by the subject
Overview
Harford County Public Library (HCPL) is the public library system serving Harford County, Maryland, tracing its origin to 1885, when the Ladies Auxiliary of Emmanuel Church opened the Bel Air Circulating Library on Main Street with 200 books (Harford County Public Library). The Harford County Library Association formed in 1912 and opened the county’s first free library in two rooms above a Main Street tailor shop; the Harford County Library Board of Trustees assumed control of the system in 1946.
Scale and leadership
As of 2015, the system operated 11 branches with more than 187,000 registered borrowers and annual circulation exceeding 4.4 million items (Patch). Mary Hastler has served as CEO since 2010. The Daily Record profiled her in 2019, when she credited the library’s early adoption of e-books, e-audiobooks and free certificate courses through platforms including Lynda.com, Cisco Networking Academy and Rosetta Stone as central to reshaping the library’s public image (The Daily Record). In 2020, the University of Maryland’s College of Information, citing Baltimore Sun coverage, reported Hastler’s election as chair of the Maryland Humanities board, her Maryland Library Association Outstanding Member Award (2018) and Daily Record Icon Honors Award (2018), and the library’s recognition as “Innovator of the Year” four times under her leadership (University of Maryland).
Programs and pandemic response
In April 2015, the Comcast Foundation awarded the library a $10,000 grant to expand its “Little Leapers 3.5” digital-literacy camp, a program for preschoolers built around tablets loaded with STEAM-focused educational apps, aimed at teaching both children and their caregivers healthy technology habits (Patch). In March 2020, the library closed all branches through the end of the month as a COVID-19 precaution. The Baltimore Sun/Aegis quoted Hastler calling it “a difficult decision,” and reported that the library waived fines and fees and extended due dates while maintaining 24/7 digital access to e-books, films and research databases through its website (The Baltimore Sun/Aegis).
Timeline
- 1885
- The Ladies Auxiliary of Emmanuel Church opens the Bel Air Circulating Library on Main Street with 200 books, the earliest library service in the county.
- 1912
- The Harford County Library Association forms and opens the county's first free library in two rooms above a tailor shop on Main Street, Bel Air.
- 1946
- The Harford County Library Board of Trustees assumes control of the county system.
- 2015-04
- Receives a $10,000 Comcast Foundation grant to expand its "Little Leapers 3.5" digital-literacy camp for preschoolers, reported by Patch alongside figures showing 11 branches, 187,000-plus registered borrowers and 4.4 million-plus annual circulation.
- 2019
- CEO Mary Hastler is profiled by The Daily Record after eight years leading the system, crediting the library's early adoption of e-books and free online certificate courses.
- 2020-03
- All branches close through March 31 as a COVID-19 precaution; the Baltimore Sun/Aegis quotes Hastler on the decision and reports the library waiving fines and extending due dates.
- 2020-11
- Hastler is elected chair of the Maryland Humanities board, reported via the University of Maryland's iSchool citing Baltimore Sun coverage; she is noted as a four-time "Innovator of the Year" honoree under her leadership.
What we could not verify
These claims came up in research and could not be confirmed. They are recorded here rather than published as fact or quietly dropped. If you hold a source that settles one, please tell us.
- Registered-borrower and circulation figures are as reported in 2015 by Patch; more recent totals were not independently found this pass and are not stated as current.
Sources
5 sources (1 tier 1, 3 tier 2, 1 first-party), each opened and read against the claim it supports. Statements the subject makes about itself are marked as such and are not treated as independent evidence. See the source policy.
Independently verified through three separate outlets read directly — the Baltimore Sun/Aegis (Harford County's regional newspaper), The Daily Record (a Maryland business and legal newspaper), and Patch's local Bel Air edition — corroborated by the library's own detailed published branch history for founding-era dates. Living person (CEO Mary Hastler) discussed only in her professional capacity, drawn from on-record quotes in published, independent news coverage.
- Harford's libraries now closing to prevent coronavirus spread Supports: The March 2020 branch closures, CEO Mary Hastler's quoted statement on the decision, and the library's waiving of fines and extension of due dates.
- Mary Hastler Supports: Confirmation of Hastler's eight-year tenure as of 2019, and the library's early adoption of e-books and free certificate courses (Lynda.com, Cisco Networking Academy, Rosetta Stone).
- Baltimore Sun: Harford County Library CEO Named New Chairwoman of Maryland Humanities Board Supports: Hastler's start date as CEO (2010), her election as Maryland Humanities board chair, her professional awards, and the library's "Innovator of the Year" recognitions under her leadership.
- Harford County Public Library Receives $10,000 Grant from Comcast Foundation Supports: The Comcast Foundation grant, the Little Leapers 3.5 digital camp, and the library's branch count, borrower count and circulation figures as of 2015.
- Bel Air Branch History Supports: The detailed founding-era history: the 1885 Bel Air Circulating Library, the 1912 Harford County Library Association, and the system's early relocations and 1946 governance change.
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