When Pearl Wade managed the first Arlington Library collection, it was housed in the old Farmer's National Bank Building. It was in the lobby, stuck in the corner, in the back. Citizens could check out books as long as it was a Wednesday or Saturday, and in the afternoon.

Wonder what Wade would think of the Arlington Library System now, some 90 years later, with its seven branches, a literacy center and numerous Library LiNK locations available in schools? Or how it is now possible to access the library 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without ever leaving the comfort of the couch?

On Saturday, patrons filled up the patio of the George W. Hawkes Central Library for a festive gathering to celebrate the nine decades of library service. They met Read, the cuddly Bookworm, listened to music from decades gone by and enjoyed lots of cake.

Through a visual timeline in displays, they also learned how the Arlington Public Library got its start and discovered some of its most memorable moments. The library website features "90 Great Things About the Arlington Public Library"and "90 Years of Groundbreaking Reads."Blog and travel through time with classic books from each decade.

A patron like Rosetta Jones had no idea Arlington was the first branch established in the county library system, or how petitioning from schools, churches and civic organizations convinced the Tarrant County Commissioners Court for a library in the first place. The Arlington Station of the Tarrant County Free Library opened on March 19, 1923, in that bank lobby corner.

"I've been coming here since I was a senior in high school, and now I have a four-year-old I bring here,"said Jones, who usually visits the Woodland West Branch. "It's funny. Libraries sort of become part of your neighborhood fabric, and you don't think too much about them. But that's a compliment. I mean, you rely on them, and they are always there."
The library timeline shows how libraries have changed over the years, from being "very much about books,"said Director of Libraries Cary Siegfried, to being "very much about people."