by Lorie Lewis Ham

In 2010, the Fresno County Library celebrated a century of service to Fresno County and decided to share its history in a book. A Century of Service chronicles the library’s beginnings in 1910 and all of the many changes that have happened over those hundred years.

In this book, you learn how the library system works, and how each new development came about. You also learn the history of every branch of the Fresno County Library, from the Auberry branch that started in a store in 1918 to the Woodward Park Branch that opened in Fresno in 1990 after a 14-year process from beginning to end. There are many pictures from all through the years as well.

At the end of the book is a list of branches that no longer are in existence including the Auberry Indian Mission Branch, Badger Camp, Barstow Colony Branch, Base Branch that served soldiers at Fresno’s Hammer Field Army Air Corps base which later became the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport, and several others.

This book is very interesting and provides insight into the many things that our libraries provide and how they have changed over the years. It was especially interesting to learn more about the history of the branch in my own town of Reedley.

Copies of this book can be found at your local branch of the Fresno County Library and are worth checking out if you enjoy local history. To learn more about the Fresno County Library check out their
website.

Lorie Lewis Ham is our Editor-in-Chief and an enthusiastic contributor to various sections, coupling her journalism experience with her connection to the literary and entertainment worlds.