Plainfield-Guilford Township Public Library (Plainfield, Indiana)

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www.plainfieldlibrary.net/

After 55 years in the old Carnegie, the library moved again, nearer the center of the 14,500 population it served. The building at the corner of Simmons Street and Stafford Road opened on October 4, 1968.

In response to a steady growth of library services and in numbers of library users, ground was broken on April 13, 1986, for an addition to the 1968 building. The addition was occupied in October 1986 and renovation began on the existing 1968 building. The renovated portion was occupied in January 1987. Formal dedication for the complete project was September 20, 1987.

The ensuing years brought many changes in information technology and continued growth in materials inventory, borrowers and circulation. Internet service was added and proved to be immensely popular with the public, as well as aiding library staff in information retrieval.

By August 1998, the library housed 127,000 volumes and an average of 17,500 visits to the library were made each month. The previous year's circulation had numbered 280,000 items, an increase of 42% during the previous decade. If Plainfield and Guilford Township residents had bought--rather than borrowed--the materials, they would have spent about $3.5 million dollars.

The Library Board voted to begin an expansion and renovation program. The 1968 building was razed, additions were made on the north and west side of the 1986 building, and a parking lot was added on the north side of the building. Once the additional space was built, the library operations moved in and the 1986 building was renovated. By late August 2000, all of the library's collections had moved into their final locations. The final project was dedicated on September 30, 2000. The library was renamed Plainfield | Guilford Township Public Library to better reflect the area it has served for over a century.