Bridgeport Public Library

Mission:

It is the mission of the Bridgeport Public Library to provide materials, resources and services which help patrons meet their personal, educational, cultural and professional information needs.

History:

Michael Benedum founded the library in 1956 and supported by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. The City of Bridgeport began providing financial support for the library in the mid-1970s. The library was located on the top floor of the Benedum Civic Center on Main Street. In 1994 the citizens and businesses of Bridgeport raised over $1.3 million dollars in order to purchase and renovate the Allstate Insurance building on Johnson Avenue. It then became the Bridgeport Public Library.

The Bridgeport Public Library, a department of the City of Bridgeport, is administered by a five member Library Board appointed by City Council. The library receives the bulk of its financing from the City of Bridgeport. Additional funding is provided by the State of West Virginia, the Harrison County Commission and the Harrison County School Board.