Five Fascinating Facts About Arbutus Branch Library

The first year in its new home at 855 Sulphur Spring Road was a milestone for Arbutus Branch Library.

Visitors to the library were up 24 percent over the previous year, to 411,063 visits, according to the county library system. During the same time period, circulation increased by a third to 446,098 items borrowed.

Here, for your reference and elucidation, are five fascinating facts about Arbutus Branch Library for your consideration:

1. The fifth home of the library, the Sulphur Spring Road location is the first time it has been in a building owned by the county rather than rented. When the Arbutus library began in 1948, it was located in the basement of a hardware store on East Drive. In the 1950s the library moved above the A&P supermarket. In 1962 the library moved to a building at Sulphur Spring Road and Benson Avenue, where it remained for 30 years until moving into the Arbutus Business Center across the street.

The library's present location is the first built specifically for the library, and its first permanent home.

2. The new building was designed with "green" features that reduce energy consumption and lower its carbon footprint. Half of the material used in the building was manufactured within 500 miles, and 94 percent of the construction debris was recycled or reused. The building has low and dual-flush bathroom fixtures, motion sensors to turn lights on and off, and an energy-efficient heating, cooling and lighting system.

If you ask, a library staff member will gladly explain the building's green technology.

3. Arbutus Branch Library recently unveiled a new photo mural display featuring 11 oversize images depicting the area's history. These huge images, some up to 15 feet long, will be on permanent display at the library. Among the images on exhibit are an 1886 photograph of Thomas Viaduct, an 1887 photographic mural of Relay House, a 1922 panoramic photographic mural of Adamantex Brick Company, and a 1927 photographic murals from the Fair of the Iron Horse.

4. Members of the Friends of the Arbutus Library have been working with Intercultural Video Production students at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and residents in the community on a hisory project called Arbutus Stories. , who developed each story into a multimedia project. The project has grown into a substantial collection of material that represents a significant contribution to the record of the area.

5. The fireplace in the magazine reading room is real! Sitting in the comfy seats by the fireplace in the evening, with the city lights twinkling in the distance, is one of the sublime pleasures of living nearby.