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1977–2009
The county ring: The branch system grew outward with the county's townships. In 1977 the library opened its newest branch as the Clay Branch; it was later renamed the Francis Branch, for the former director Roger B. Francis, and stands today at 52655 North Ironwood Road. In 1986 the North Liberty Branch first opened at 105 West Center Street, serving North Liberty Township; it stands today at 105 East Market Street in North Liberty. In December 1990 the Lakeville Branch first opened at Lakeville High School; it stands today at 120 North Michigan Street in Lakeville. In 1999 the Centre Branch opened to serve Centre Township, at 1150 East Kern Road — built, the library wrote, as "a nature lover's reading paradise," and the only branch with a drive-up window. In 2009 the German Branch, the newest, was built to serve German Township, at 52807 Lynnewood Avenue. When the South Bend Common Council honored Director Napoli in 2015, it recorded that all nine of the system's branch buildings had been built under his leadership — the 1983 four, these five, and the buildings' renewals among them.
Sources:
- St. Joseph County Public Library, "History of the St. Joseph County Public Library" — Francis (Clay) 1977 and the renaming; North Liberty 1986 and 105 W. Center Street; Lakeville December 1990 at Lakeville High School; Centre 1999; German 2009.
- St. Joseph County Public Library, "Locations & Hours" (November 2026) — the present addresses of all five.
- St. Joseph County Public Library, news feature on the Centre Branch — built 1999; the drive-up window.
- City of South Bend Common Council, Resolution 15-54 (2015) — the nine branch buildings under Napoli.