History

In 1912, the State of Delaware recognized the Village Improvement Association's establishment of the Rehoboth Beach Library. The small collection grew quickly. To house an expanding collection of materials, the library was first moved to an old school house and prior city hall in 1942, then to the City Municipal Center in 1965; and finally, to a former telephone company building in 1985. A capital campaign helped renovate and refurbish the building.

In 1986, Naon Craft donated a lot east of the existing building to the library, and, in 1992, the City of Rehoboth gave the building to the library. The Board of Trustees then kicked off a $1.26 million building fund drive in 1995. December 9, 2000 marked the dedication of the new, completely refurbished and renovated Rehoboth Beach library.

The Rehoboth Beach Library serves 5,000 active families and more than 11,000 regular patrons. From its humble beginning with fewer than 500 books, the Rehoboth Beach Public Library now boasts more than 29,300 books, 1,700 audio and video items, and 80 plus periodicals. The library also provides liberal public access to the adventures and learning offered by cyberspace.

Key Individuals

Anna Hazzard, often called "Miss Annie," served as one of the first librarians. Richard Bailey acted as president of the Rehoboth Beach Guild, which was a forerunner of the present Friends of the Rehoboth Beach Library. Dee Bradley is president of the Board of Trustees guided the force in the library's expansion and renovation in 2000.