Middle Country Public Library

After rapid population growth in the 1940’s and 50’s, many civic-minded citizens felt it was time for a  community library. In March of 1957, The Mid Island News announced the forthcoming opening of the  “long-awaited library serving the Centereach and Selden communities.”  In 1968, the name change to Middle Country Public Library reflected the consolidation of the school  district.

When the lease on the Selden Branch expired, the School District offered the unused Selden Elementary  School to the library. In 1983, after remodeling the school to provide handicapped access and library  furniture and shelving, the Middle Country Cultural Center at Selden was opened to the public.

To accommodate the growth in services, a bond was submitted to the voters and approved in 1985 for an expansion to the Centereach  building. The renovated 53,000 square foot building, with greatly expanded space for children’s services,  officially opened on December 15, 1986.

New innovative concepts and programs were introduced over the next decade. A section of the  Children’s Room became The Museum Corner, an interactive exhibit space featuring hands-on exhibits  and programs for children and their families. The Career Information Center made its debut offering  college and career materials, programming and counseling for MCPL patrons. A library newsletter, MCPL  News, was introduced in 1989.

The Friends of the Library was established in 1994 to foster closer relations between the library and the  community and to support the library’s functions, resources, services and needs.  The need for a foundation to manage the library’s increased grants and growing regional and national  projects led to the formation of the MCPL Foundation in 1997.

On October 28, 1999, voters approved a bond issue for the expansion of both MCPL buildings. The Selden building was  officially opened December 4, 2002; the Centereach building on November 15, 2003.

In 2010, Middle Country Public Library proudly became the first library in the nation to offer a nature  explore classroom when it opened the Nature Explorium, an outdoor learning space for children and  families.

With an annual circulation of 1.5 million, 2,400+ programs each year, and 12 meeting rooms in constant  use, MCPL’s 107,000 square foot, two building expansion, with dynamic architectural spaces that reflect  the ever-changing innovative and creative activities taking place within the library, make it one of the largest and busiest on Long Island and the heart of its community.