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The St. Michaels Branch in June 2025 as the exterior walls first went up.
On August 29, 2004, the St. Michaels Branch reopened on Fremont Street following an expansive renovation project. One of the biggest projects during the renovation was the addition of the Meeting Room — a much-beloved addition. The renovated building was met with excitement and love — both locally and nationally.
In July 2011, the American Library Association chose an image of the St. Michaels Branch — out of 122,000 U.S. libraries — to represent the "classic American library" in their public service announcement and campaign, Connect with Your Kids.
We like to think of these expansion projects as testaments to the community's love for, and dedication to, the branch. TCFL is here for every chapter of your life, and we will always grow with our community. As we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the branch in 2021, a new project began to take place to help accommodate the community's growth.
In fall 2024, crews broke ground on this new project — an additional expansion and renovation of the St. Michaels Branch. And while they didn't have to move using shopping carts (check out that story here), there's still plenty of fun and activity at the current temporary location at 1013 S. Talbot St., Suite 11.
And that brings us to the present! Progress is being made every day on the expansion and renovation — most recently, the exterior walls are officially up and ready to welcome back the iconic front windows of the original building. And there's plenty more to look forward to.
"One of the things I'm looking forward to is [providing] a better space for teens and tweens - we did not have that when we first moved to Fremont St., or when the [2004] expansion happened" Branch Manager Shauna Beulah said. "Children have changed through the years and so have their interests and what they want to do. So, we're planning a better space to encourage them to be here and do the things they want to do."
If you'd like to stay updated on the construction, check out our blog here. Stay tuned for a special On the Shelf with Sabine Simonson for a close-up look at the current St. Michaels temporary branch and Fremont St. construction site — premiering on the Midshore Community Television YouTube channel soon!
Have a story or memory you'd like to share? Send us an email at librarymemories@tcfl.org - anonymous submissions accepted also!
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