A Library as a Symbol for the Community

Maryland’s Washington County Free Library (WCFL) is noteworthy for a number of important reasons. It is the second oldest county-wide library system in the United States, having been founded in 1898. Additionally, this library system introduced the very first bookmobile—or to be more accurate, book-wagon—way back in 1905. The wagon stopped at individual houses and made books available to rural families. Also notable is the fact that, about four decades ago, staff members at the Washington County Free Library designed the image that was ultimately adopted by the American Library Association in 1982 as the international symbol for libraries.