SALT LAKE CITY
Although the first public library building in Salt Lake City didn't open until 1898, the legacy of library books in Utah goes back to 1851.
Here's a historical look at libraries in Salt Lake City:
1851: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints brings the first library books into the state.
1872-1876: The Ladies Library Association operates a small downtown public reading room with 400 books.
1877: Masonic Order establishes the Masonic Public Library. It has 10,000 books by 1891 but donates its collection to the newly founded Pioneer Library Association.
Feb. 14, 1898: The Free Public Library of Salt Lake opens in the top floor of the City & County Building with 11,910 books from the Pioneer Library Association.
1901: The Salt Lake Library has 14,515 volumes, and John Quackenbos Packard donates property valued at $20,000 for a new library at 15 S. State.
Oct. 27, 1905: A new $100,000 library opens at 15 S. State.
1921: The Salt Lake City Library System has eight branches.
1950s: Main Library is overcrowded, and the newly created Friends of the Library group is established to help raise funds.
Oct. 30, 1964: New $2.5 million library opens at 209 E. 500 South.
1997: Current main library is outgrown. A study shows a new library is the best choice.
Nov. 3, 1998: Voters approve an $84 million library bond for a new building.
Oct. 21, 2000: Ground is broken on the new library site.