About

Dauphin County Library System (DCLS) is a District Library Center A District Library Center is a library designated as such by the State Librarian and the Governor’s Advisory Council on Library Development and which shall receive State aid for the purpose of making resources and services available without charge to all the residents and the taxpayers of its district as specified by section 211 of The Library Code (24 P. S. § 4211). designated by the Office of Commonwealth Libraries to take a leadership role in coordinating library services. DCLS and its participating public libraries form the Capital Area Library District, a service area containing:

• 3 Counties: Cumberland, Dauphin, Perry
• 24 Locations (22 libraries or branches and 2 ADM offices)
• 15 Library Boards of Trustees
• 6 Fully Independent Libraries (HER, MDT, MVL, NWP, CLWPC, BLM)
• 1 Consolidated System A Consolidated System is a local library made up of two or more branches, governed solely by one board of directors. Dauphin County Library System is one example. They are made up of eight branches. with 8 Branch Libraries (DCLS)
• 1 Federated System A Federated System is an organization of two or more independent libraries serving not less than a total of 25,000 people which have voluntarily agreed to participate and have delegated the policy making functions to a system board of directors. Cumberland County Library System is one example. They are made up of seven local libraries and one branch. with 7 Libraries, 1 Branch (CCLS)

Capital Area Library District is also a member of the Capital Region, a collaboration of District Library Centers and Systems in the greater regional area working together.
The region includes all of the libraries identified above as well as libraries and affiliates of Adams County Library System, Franklin County Library System, Lancaster County Library System, Lebanon County Library System,York County Library System.