History
The first libraries in Whatcom County were begun by women's clubs and organizations, and included facilities in Lynden, Ferndale, Blaine, and Sumas. The origination of a county-wide library system dates to the 1940s, when the County Grange proposed the idea of consolidating existing services and extending outreach to other communities. In 1944, voters in unincorporated Whatcom County passed a measure initiating a tax for library services and forming the Rural Library District.
In 1947 Sumas became the first city in Whatcom County to join WCLS. Bookmobile services began that same year and continue to be maintained as an outreach function of WCLS, along with services to senior communities and to correctional facilities. Over the next several decades, other communities voted to join the library system, and through fundraising efforts by the various "Friends of the Library" groups, were able to update and maintain their individual branch facilities.
Read more about this topic: Whatcom County Library System
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