Brief History                                                                                

     The appropriations for the Brunswick Library in the Brunswick district of the city were motivated in September 1957 by the Brunswick Community Club. The self-appointed ombudsmen, James Pugh, Leland Ladd and the Rev. E. W. Koehneke comprised the committee that promoted the library project.

      A movement to secure library facilities for residents of the Brunswick area began with a letter writing campaign by scores of Brunswick citizens to the Library Board of Trustees.  Conferences were held with the Library Director, Ralph Van Handel with hopes of opening a branch in fall, 1957.

     The request for service had come too late to be included in the 1957 library budget.  It would have cost between $15,000 and $20,000 to open a branch, and funds were not available to start the project in 1958.

      The 1959 budget was prepared in May 1958 that included a sum to meet the library needs of the Brunswick community.  The Brunswick Branch, 5213 W. 5^th Avenue, opened on January 22, 1959. The building was located in a rented storefront near Edison School. The first Librarian, Dannetta Sergison, served with perfect attendance from 1959 to 1973.

      The branch remained at that location for another two years.  In 1966, the scheduled widening of 5^th Avenue, necessitated the demolition of the branch site, and caused the branch to be relocated to the Tri-City Plaza, a few blocks to the east.  It was located in this plaza for the next twenty-nine years, moving to three different locations within the plaza: 4391, 4435 and finally 4389.

      The branch was officially closed at the February 26, 1996 Board meeting citing building concerns.  Service continued to the Brunswick community in the Tri-City Plaza (now Commons on 20) through the library’s bookmobile and extended hours of service at the Tolleston Branch.

      After Brunswick’s closing, the Brunswick Community Organization began working with the Library Board to help bring library service back to the community.

       After nearly seven years, the wait was over. On Wednesday, December 11, 2002 a groundbreaking ceremony was held on the site of what will be the Brunswick community’s first permanent library building.  The Ribbon Cutting and Open House Dedication followed on August 11, 2003.