Laurel Public Library
🏢 Sussex County · Laurel, Delaware
Laurel Public Library
Serving Laurel since the New Century Club founded it in 1909, the Laurel Public Library now fills a two-story building completed in 2006 at 101 East 4th Street — with passport and notary service, a Delaware Room for genealogy and the Mary Wootten Carpenter Community Room — and stays open until 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–7pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–7pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–7pm |
| Thursday | 10am–7pm |
| Friday | 10am–5pm |
| Saturday | 10am–2pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 101 East 4th Street, Laurel, DE 19956
Phone: (302) 875-3184
Website: laurel.lib.de.us
Plus Code: 87C6HC4H+GM (Laurel, DE)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Laurel Public Library
Laurel Public Library serves the town of Laurel in western Sussex County, Delaware, near Broad Creek and the Nanticoke River in the state's southwestern corner. It began in 1909 when the Laurel chapter of the New Century Club founded a library for the town, with club women staffing it and choosing and processing the books themselves. In 1932 the New Century Club handed over management and the library became affiliated with the Delaware State Library Commission. After two earlier locations, a single-story brick library was built in 1951 at the present 4th Street site, dedicated to the memory of Mary Wootten Carpenter — a Laurel native whose husband Walter and sons John, Sam and Edward funded the building and its collection. The current two-story building was completed in 2006, moving the Delaware Room and genealogy collections upstairs and giving teens and children their own dedicated spaces. Today the library is part of the Sussex County Library System and the statewide Delaware Library Catalog consortium, so a Delaware card borrows across every public library in the state.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Founded in 1909 by the Laurel chapter of the New Century Club — one of Delaware's older town libraries
- First purpose-built library opened 1951, dedicated to Mary Wootten Carpenter; current two-story building completed 2006
- Delaware Room upstairs holds local-history and genealogy resources for Laurel and Sussex County
- On-site passport application and passport-photo service plus notary public service
- Mary Wootten Carpenter Community Room with a kitchen for meetings and programs, and roughly 20 public computers
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Laurel cardholders can stream, research and download free through Delaware's statewide digital collections:
📚 Services
- Passport application acceptance and passport-photo service
- Notary public service
- Document shredding for patrons
- Delaware Room — local-history and genealogy collection
- Mary Wootten Carpenter Community Room with kitchen for meetings and programs
- Wireless (remote) printing, copying and scanning
- Public-access computers, laptops and tablets, and free Wi-Fi
🎸 Programs
- Children's storytimes and youth programming
- Delaware Libraries Summer Reading Program
- Adult programs and workshops
- Friends of Laurel Public Library events and book sales
📍 Nearby Libraries in Sussex County
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What are Laurel Public Library's hours?
The library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed on Sunday. The four weeknights open to 7 p.m. make it easy to stop in after work or school.
Can I apply for a passport at the Laurel Public Library?
Yes. Laurel Public Library is a passport acceptance facility and also takes passport photos on site, along with notary public service and document shredding. It is a good idea to check the library's website or call (302) 875-3184 for current passport hours and required documents before you go.
How old is the Laurel Public Library, and when was the current building built?
The library dates to 1909, when the Laurel chapter of the New Century Club founded it. Its first purpose-built building opened in 1951 at the 4th Street site, dedicated to Mary Wootten Carpenter, and the current two-story building was completed in 2006, adding upstairs space for the Delaware Room and genealogy along with dedicated teen and children's areas.
Does the library have resources for local and family history?
Yes. The second floor holds the Delaware Room, a local-history and genealogy collection for Laurel and Sussex County. A Delaware library card also unlocks statewide research databases and the Delaware Library Catalog, and staff can help you get started tracing families in western Sussex County.
🛂 This library offers U.S. passport services. See how library passport acceptance works — requirements, fees and appointments — and find other passport acceptance libraries by state.
📋 This library offers notary services. See what a library notary can do — what to bring, fees and appointments — and find other libraries with a notary notary services by state.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
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