Georgetown Public Library
🏢 Sussex County · Georgetown, Delaware
Georgetown Public Library
Born from a women's club and 82 cents, Georgetown Public Library has grown into a 29,400-square-foot anchor for Sussex County's county seat — offering laptop lending, FamilySearch genealogy access, and a Heritage Collection tracing the history of Delaware's southern counties.
🕑 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: 123 West Pine Street, Georgetown, DE 19947
Phone: (302) 856-7958
Website: georgetown.lib.de.us
Plus Code: 87C6MJP7+W5 (Georgetown, 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 Georgetown Public Library
Georgetown Public Library has anchored the county seat of Sussex County since 1899, when the Georgetown New Century Club — a women's civic organization — established it on the second floor of the Lacey Building. The building fund famously began with just 82 cents earned by member Miss Julia Burton selling plants from her garden. By 1926 the Club had raised enough to open a dedicated library on West Pine Street, and a full renovation in the early 1980s modernized the facility. A major expansion completed in 2010 produced today's 29,400-square-foot building, giving western Sussex County one of the most comprehensive public library facilities in the region. The library operates independently within Delaware's statewide library consortium, drawing on Sussex County and state funding supplemented by a Delaware Community Foundation endowment.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Founded 1899 by the Georgetown New Century Club; building fund launched with just 82 cents from Miss Julia Burton's plant sales
- 29,400 sq ft facility at the heart of Georgetown, Delaware's county seat for Sussex County, after a 2010 expansion
- Lends 10 laptops and 12 Wi-Fi hotspots through the Community Connect / Capital One + ALA partnership (2025)
- AARP Community Challenge Grant-funded computer lab offering digital-literacy classes in Zoom, email, Microsoft Office, and Google Suite
- FamilySearch Affiliate Library with access to over 13 billion searchable genealogical records, plus a local Heritage Collection
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Georgetown cardholders can stream, research, and download free through Delaware's digital collections:
📚 Services
- Public-access computers with internet and Microsoft Office Suite
- Free Wi-Fi throughout the building
- Color and black-and-white printing, scanning, copying, and faxing; wireless (remote) printing
- Laptop and Wi-Fi hotspot lending (10 laptops, 12 hotspots via Community Connect program)
- Meeting rooms available for community reservation
- Notary public services
- Heritage Collection — local and genealogical history for Georgetown and Sussex County
- Assistive technology and training in partnership with Delaware Division for the Visually Impaired; Braille markings throughout
- Ask a Librarian reference service (email, text, voicemail)
🎸 Programs
- Digital-literacy classes: Zoom, email, Microsoft Office, Google Suite (AARP-funded computer lab)
- Summer Library Reading Program — all ages, free registration at delawarelibraries.org
- Children's early-literacy programs including 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
- Genealogy research assistance (FamilySearch Affiliate Library)
- Assistive-technology training sessions with Delaware Division for the Visually Impaired
📍 Nearby Libraries in Sussex County
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Georgetown · Browse all Delaware libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How did a women's club founded in 1899 end up running a 29,400-square-foot library?
The Georgetown New Century Club established the library in 1899 in rented space on the second floor of the Lacey Building. The club spent years building a dedicated fund — famously launched with just 82 cents that member Miss Julia Burton earned selling plants from her garden. In 1926 the club opened a standalone building on West Pine Street. That building was renovated in the early 1980s, and a major expansion completed around 2010 produced the current 29,400-square-foot facility at 123 West Pine Street.
Georgetown Public Library is described as 'independent' — what does that mean for Sussex County residents?
Georgetown Public Library is not a branch of the Sussex County Department of Libraries (which runs 13 other county-owned branches). It is governed by its own Board of Trustees and funded roughly three-quarters by Sussex County and the State of Delaware, with the rest from philanthropic sources including a Delaware Community Foundation endowment. Despite this independent structure, GPL is fully part of the Delaware Library Catalog consortium — meaning patrons can borrow from any Delaware public library, and all state digital resources (Libby, Kanopy, hoopla) are available on a Georgetown card.
I don't have home internet — can the library help me get connected?
Yes. Georgetown Public Library lends 10 laptops and 12 Wi-Fi hotspots to cardholders through the Community Connect program (a Capital One / American Library Association partnership). The library also offers in-branch public computers with internet access and Microsoft Office, and runs digital-literacy classes in video conferencing, email, and Google Suite — the result of an AARP Community Challenge Grant that created a dedicated computer training lab.
Does Georgetown Public Library have resources for researching Sussex County history and family genealogy?
Yes. The library maintains a Heritage Collection of printed, visual, genealogical, and manuscript materials relating to Georgetown and the surrounding Sussex County area. It is also a designated FamilySearch Affiliate Library, giving patrons on-site access to expanded genealogical databases covering more than 13 billion searchable names. Digital newspaper archives — including the Sussex Countian, Delaware State News (1991–present), and USA Today (1987–present) — are accessible remotely with a library card.
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