week (Daytona Beach-Keech Street, Oak Hill, Pierson, Lake Helen, and Orange City). The Volusia County Library System was officially started in 1961. Prior to 1961, there were small libraries throughout Volusia County that were maintained by different organizations prevalent in the county. In 1949, Charlotte Smith started an effort to organize the public library system within Volusia County. In 1960, 10 libraries existed in Volusia County, however they were not connected together in a centralized library system. In September 1960, state officials met with librarians and county officials to discuss how the Library Services Act could be applied to Volusia County. A committee was formed to study the conditions of the libraries within the county and determine if organizing the libraries in the county into a centralized system was an appropriate move. After a year the committee found that a countywide library system would be the best course of action for the county. With the development of the Volusia County Library System, a library board was appointed by the governor and the board hired Bradley Simon to be the first director of the Volusia County Library System. During this time, bookmobiles were purchased and sent to rural areas in Volusia County to provide residents there with library services. By 1962, nine public libraries and the bookmobiles were part of the Volusia County Library System, and within the next four years Holly Hill, Ormond Beach, and Orange City joined the system. As new funds were made available, new construction of library facilities occurred, with many of the libraries in the Volusia County Library System being granted new buildings. In 1976 the Deltona Library opened and became the only library that the county fully owned. In 1977 the Dickerson Community Center Library opened and served the black community of Daytona Beach, and is now the John H. Dickerson Heritage Library. Expansion in the 1980s included the construction of buildings for the Port Orange Regional Library in 1984, the Lake Helen Public Library and the Edgewater Public Library in 1988, and the DeLand Regional Library in 1989. Voter registration According to the Secretary of State's office, Republicans are a plurality of registered voters in Volusia County. Demographics As of the 2020 United States census, there were 553,543 people, 220,386 households, and 136,510 families residing in the county. As of the census of 2000, 443,343 people, 184,723 households, and 120,069 families were residing in