The Chester County Library System (CCLS) in

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5 ...

is a library system in southeastern Pennsylvania that was organized in 1965. It is a federated system composed of a District Center Library in

Exton, Pennsylvania Exton is a census-designated place (CDP) in West Whiteland Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Its population was 5,622 at the 2020 census. The Exton Square Mall and Main Street at Exton are both located within Exton along w ...

and seventeen member libraries. The system provides materials and information for life, work and pleasure.

History

The library system has its history starting in

West Chester, Pennsylvania West Chester is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Delaware Valley, Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the ...

where it was once housed in a new county building on West Market Street and New Street, replacing the old Chester County Prison situated in the same location only 3 years earlier in 1959. The county building was dedicated to honor Congressman

Paul Dague Paul Bartram Dague (May 19, 1898 – December 2, 1974) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography Paul Dague was born in Whitford, Pennsylvania. He took special studies at West Chester State ...

in 1971. In 1980, the Chester County Library moved to its current location in Exton (next to the Exton Square Mall). In 1982, the library in Exton received a National Association of Counties Award for its Library Literacy Program, the first in the U.S. state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

handling 30,000 illiterates and 15,000 non-English speaking residents.

Libraries

*Atglen Public Library *Avon Grove Library *Chester Springs Library *Chester County Library and District Center *Coatesville Area Public Library *Downingtown Library *Easttown Library and Information Center *Henrietta Hankin Branch **In West Vincent Township - Compare to library address. *Honey Brook Community Library *Kennett Library *Malvern Public Library *Oxford Public Library *Paoli Library *Parkesburg Free Library *Phoenixville Public Library *Spring City Free Library *Tredyffrin Public Library *West Chester Public Library

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control County library systems in Pennsylvania Public libraries in Pennsylvania Education in Chester County, Pennsylvania