This Day in Henrico History: October 30 – Libbie Mill Library begins regular public service
On October 30, 2015, Henrico’s Libbie Mill Library opened for regular business at 9 a.m. The new facility at 2100 Libbie Lake East Street replaced Dumbarton Library and brought expanded reading, meeting, and technology spaces to the area near Staples Mill and Bethlehem roads.
A community celebration and ribbon cutting took place the evening before, on October 29.
The library offered 39,915 square feet of library space over two floors. Features described in contemporary reporting included a digital media lab with 3D printers, collaboration and study rooms, a quiet reading room, a children’s programming room, and a drive-up pickup and return window.
The project was funded through the bond referendum Henrico voters approved in 2005. Its opening reflected an expanding role for the public library: a place to borrow books, work together, and gain access to tools for creating and learning with digital media.
Sources: Henrico County, approved FY2016–17 Library budget, Departmental Highlights, PDF p. 3; Valerie Catrow, RVAnews, “Libbie Mill Library opens this week,” October 26, 2015; Henrico County, “Libbie Mill Library to Open Friday, Oct 30,” October 14, 2015.
