When the Whitmore Library opened in Salt Lake County in 1974, it sought to be the library of the future. Whitmore boasted all the state-of-the-art technology — a UPI teletype machine, calculators, cassette player-recorders and pianos rooms with recording capabilities.
Most of this tech eventually collected dust and moved over for modern needs, like computers. But in the 50 years since Whitmore’s grand opening, it endures as a part of Salt Lake County’s thriving library system.
Whitmore Library was constructed in Cottonwood Heights in 1974 as a response to increased demand for library space in a growing Salt Lake County. There are now 18 full-service library branches in the Salt Lake County library system, and they make up one of the highest-circulating library systems in North America.
On Friday morning, the county library celebrated 50 years of the Whitmore branch.
“I am amazed to be a part of an institution that has meant so much to so many community members over the decades,” Salt Lake County Library Director Joey McNamee said at the anniversary celebration. “Whitmore … is one of our highest circulation branches and it is beloved by community members, who live here now and have lived here before.”