(The Basin) Summit County Library
1992-1999
2734 W. Rasmussen Road
in the Summit Center
Park City , UT 84098-5401
(435) 658-BOOK

(The Kimball Junction) Summit County Services Building
The Lou Jean Nelson Library is housed inside.
2001-2020
1885 W. Ute Blvd.
(formerly 6505 N. Landmark Dr. #100)
Park City , UT 84098-6009

The Kimball Junction Branch is the result of a pursuit to establish a local Library in our “Moose Valley” neighborhoods. In 1991 Lou Jean Nelson and Lucy Murphy made plans and recruited their local  L.D.S. Church Membership friends to fulfill an ambitious application to Summit County.

Lou Jean focused on working with Summit County to receive their support to open a local library implementing a federal “Reading Room” program designed for Senior Citizens.  Lou Jean was able to describe to County Commissioner Ron Perry the Federal Green Plan that would employ senior citizens to involve them in service to their communities.  Lucy Murphy was able to gain the interest of long time friend, Commissioner Tom Flinders.
Once the County gave the nod, an 1100 sq.ft. set of rooms was located for the “Reading Room” Library in the Summit Center.

With the help of Doug Burns and his Boy Scout troop, Relief Society volunteers and tremendous community support, the donated book shelves were cleaned, sanded, painted and installed. The rooms were painted, windows cleaned, etc. Salt Lake County Libraries donated thousands of books, and other materials; they were sorted under the supervision of Librarian Patti Wilson and others. Her son, David Wilson, set up the original Winnebago software to support the cataloging process to organize the collection and the circulation capability.

In 1995 the Utah State Library Division upgraded the status of the “Green Room” to “Library” to enable it to receive the same State and Federal support services as other libraries in the state, viz. inter-library loan (ILL), state supported training for library staff (UpLift, LST Act, eligibility for state and federal Grant Writing, etc.).  Chip Ward and Jane Smith of the Utah State Library Division were to administer the Summit County Library grant funds, to supervise and approve their use.

The Basin Branch Library programs were staffed by local volunteers, one senior citizen (Rita Wessel), and the librarian hired to work 20 hours a week was working 60 hours a week for half the salary she was hired to be paid.
Summit County continued to support this branch with a $9,000. operating budget per year.  The Grants sought by Murphy and Montgomery augmented new books in the most popular genres and titles.  This branch was a hive of activity and participation by many dozens of volunteers and program participants.  It was a happy, social, welcoming event center in our “Moose Valley” home.

The continuing donations of time and materials by local residents allowed the librarian to catalog the collection while also “weeding” out items that were replaced with newer editions.  Volunteers checked in materials and checked out patron selections. The collection expanded to about 2,000 books in 1100 square feet of space.

The circulation and patronage of this Basin Library out performed the other Summit County Libraries.  The Basin residents, and Friends of the Summit County Library membership voiced their support to step up plans for a larger library, more computers, more library programs, and a dynamic collection.

The Kimball Junction Journal, new in March 1997 local newspaper published news for this Basin Library in nearly every two-week issue of their paper.

On September 23, 1997 Summit County hired Paula Demanett to be the first Summit County Library Director. Her duties included the library branches (Kamas, Coalville, Basin, the bookmobile, and the Wanship Storage facility), and to coordinate the planning of  a new Basin Library at Kimball Junction.  Paula was able to change the nine member Library Board to seven new members with more professional experience as well as a dedication to attend board meetings.

The County decided to shut down the Basin Branch while the Kimball Junction Branch was under construction. During this transition period, Librarian Lucy Murphy moved many of the materials and electronics to the Wanship Storage facility.  This closure enabled her to take a leave of absence to complete her Master degree and to remarry.  Thereby transferring six years of effort, leadership, and her collaboration with Boston architect Ben Wood, to Paula to work with the not cooperative (seen as recalcitrant) Library Board and County Commissioners, to complete the construction of the  Summit County Services Building and Lou Jean Nelson Branch Library at Kimball Junction.

The ball had started rolling, and the Summit County Basin Library meager funds were re-appropriated for the new library building that was to include the DMV and County Health Services.

On November 17, 2001, the Kimball Junction Branch of the Summit County Library opened its doors to the “Lou Jean Nelson Library” housed in the Sheldon Richins Building located at 6505 North Landmark Drive in Park City, Utah.

With the addition of the Park City bus Transit Center on the west side of the Sheldon Richins Building, during mid-2016, the Library’s address changed to 1885 West Ute Boulevard.