History of The Library
Welcome to the blog! This week, we’d like to use this post to celebrate National Library Week by talking a little about our library and it’s history:
Did you know that library service has existed in Downey for over 100 years? That’s right. Our community’s commitment to literacy and public access to information is long-standing and well-rooted. In 1898, seven women residents of Downey founded a social club and within three years, in 1901, they established a small library. In the beginning they charged each patron a small fee so that books could be purchased. When, in September 1915, the Los Angeles County Library System opened a new branch in Downey, the social club turned over its entire collection to them. In the first year that the County Library System operated the library in Downey, 215 patrons were registered and 330 titles were available to choose from.
The branch would move several times under the County’s direction until, in 1950, it found its last home at the County Civic Center on Third Street and La Reina Avenue. By 1957, the branch’s 15,000 volumes circulated 123,000 times. The library also had 14,000 people register for library cards that year.
In 1958, two years after Downey was incorporated as a city, the Downey City Council voted to withdraw from the County’s library system and accept responsibility for providing the city with its own library. A new building to house 70,000 volumes was quickly authorized and the City appointed bookstore owner, Rex Dyer, to serve as the city’s first librarian. The initial library service was quite modest, operating out of the back of Mr. Dyer’s bookstore.
Meanwhile, the City purchased the former Downey Elementary School, and converted it into a City Hall and Police Station. The library was moved into the former school’s cafeteria building, and opened its doors on July 1, 1958, with a full-time staff of six and about 5,000 books. During the next 18 months, the collection grew to 24,000 items.
On December 7, 1959, the new library building, containing almost 16,000 sq. ft., was completed at a cost of $186,200. The library opened to the public on December 18th, and during the first year of operation, 20,000 cards were issued and 144,409 items were checked out. The Friends of the Library established itself within the library’s first year with the purpose of strengthening ties between the Library and the community. They carried this purpose out by raising funds for facilities, services and collections.
By 1983, Downey City Library served close to 90,000 patrons and circulated 300,00 items a year. With a collection that had grown to over 106,000 volumes, the City recognized a need for additional space so in February of 1984 the library received an additional 12,000 sq. ft. The addition included a new children’s room and office, magazine and newspaper room, circulation desk, restrooms, entryway, display cases and a bookstore operated by the Friends of the Library.
Today
In November of 2016 Downey voters approved Measure S, which increased the transaction and use tax by 0.5%. This went into effect on April 1st, 2017, generating approximately $9 million per year to protect and enhance the quality of services to the community. As part of these improvements brought about by Measure S, Downey City Library temporarily closed its doors to the public to undergo a complete renovation on March 18th, 2019,
After nearly 40 years since its last remodel, Downey City Library was transformed into a true 21st century public learning space, and in 2021, the Library reopened its doors to the public.
