History, Mission, Vision
The Rachel Kohl Community Library exists today largely because of the efforts of one remarkable woman who, seeing a need, dedicated herself wholeheartedly to the task of starting a library in western Delaware County. In 1950, Rachel Kohl and her family moved to Concord, a rural area with one small elementary school and no library.
“The closest libraries were either in West Chester, Wilmington, or Media and eventually everybody got tired of driving around for books,” said Rachel, a lifelong lover of books who worked as a medical records, church and public school librarian. “I thought it would be worthwhile to try and get a community library going that could help the school children with their work.”
By early 1979, volunteers amassed enough books to fill a small, vacant closet at the Concord Elementary School and the Community Township Library, as it was then known, officially opened for business.
In 1981, the library joined the newly formed Delaware County Library System and expanded from the original three communities of Concord, Bethel, and Chester Heights, to also include Chadds Ford and Thornbury.
The library was housed at the elementary school for six years, moving from its original location to a 400 square foot classroom, which had been the former school library. As the community became more populated and as the school district grew, Rachel and the board identified the need for a building of their own. Erected in 1989, the Rachel Kohl Community Library was so named at the request of a benefactor who insisted to the trustees that the building be named in her honor for her persistent and dedicated work in identifying, outfitting, and raising funds.
The Rachel Kohl Community Library aims to improve the quality of life in our communities, by providing the resources that will enable residents to learn, meet, enjoy, and grow.
The Rachel Kohl Community Library will be a most valued learning, leisure, and enrichment center, thereby connecting the communities we serve now and into the future.
We will remove barriers to information access by creating an accessible, safe, and welcoming space.
We will provide outstanding customer service, while treating our patrons with dignity, compassion, respect, and sensitivity.
We believe that the key to our success is to build community participation, engagement, and presence inside and outside the library walls.
We will anticipate and create tomorrow’s library, while we listen to and respond to the needs of the community today.
We believe that we can act as a catalyst to connect our community to information, knowledge, resources…and each other.
Learn more about our strategic plan by clicking above, the draft of which was approved by the Board of Trustees on June 24, 2024.