Company Profile
Howard County Library System
Company Overview
At Howard County Library System, we aim to delight you with extraordinary customer service – whether in person, by telephone, or online. Our expert team of educators and support staff is here for you.
A vital component of Howard County’s renowned education system, Howard County Library System (HCLS) delivers high-quality public education for all.
Ranked among the nation’s great public library systems, we take pride in having been named Library of the Year by Gale/Library Journal. HCLS was selected from among the 21,000 public and academic libraries in North America for developing and living a powerful new vision, “Libraries = Education.”
Ushering in a new era for libraries everywhere, the philosophy positions libraries as educational institutions and library staff as educators. As part of the award, Library Journal hailed the Libraries = Education equation “a 21st century model worthy of study and consideration by every other library in America, if not the world” (John N. Berry, Library Journal, June 15, 2013, p.33).
Company History
An award-winning educational institution that ranks among the best in North America, Howard County Library System (HCLS) began 75 years ago. Recognizing the power of knowledge, a group of civic-minded women opened the first HCLS branch in Ellicott City on October 11, 1940. Little did they know that their vision and leadership would set into motion an overarching philosophy that would expand HCLS to six branches in 2015, and culminate in its being hailed “a 21st-century library model, with a position, purpose, and curriculum worthy of study and consideration by every library in America, if not the world.” (Library Journal, June 2013)