(La Plata, MD) Charles County Public Library (CCPL) will celebrate 100 years of serving Charles County this year. The library was first started by the County Homemakers Club and County Extension Agent P.D. Brown in a single room on the second floor of the county jail on Washington Avenue in La Plata in 1922.
This month marks the beginning of a year filled with special events, programs, giveaways, surprises, and more honoring this historic milestone for the library. The theme for the anniversary is “Engage – Discover – Learn” and will include monthly celebrations and events–virtually and in person.
The library has expanded its program offerings this year to include a reading challenge in honor of Black History Month, a monthly series featuring authors titled “Library After Hours”, as well as a month-long of jobs assistance programs called “Connect 2 Success” in April.
CCPL is planning in-person birthday parties at its branches during the month of May to kick off a 100-day 2022 Summer Learning Challenge. More information on the in-person events can be found on the library’s website.
To continue the celebration, as well as look to the future, the library is also launching a fundraising campaign for the year encouraging anyone who has been impacted by the library throughout its 100 years to donate $1 for every year of the library’s existence.
“We’re extremely excited and humbled by this historic milestone,” said KennethWayne Thompson, Executive Director of the Charles County Public Library. “CCPL has been an institution in Charles County and we are thrilled to be able to celebrate the past while looking to the future of the library.”
For more information on the celebration, to learn more about the history of CCPL, or make a donation visit https://www.ccplonline.org/100-years/.