The nationwide trend toward automating Library services took hold of the Library in the 1980s. In 1984 the library received automation equipment, and over the next year the entire collection received barcodes, clearing the way for a new circulation system. For the next eight years, while developing an electronic catalog for staff, the library continued to update the traditional card catalog for public use. The collection continued to grow, and by January of 1986, the Downtown Library and its three small branches housed 221,567 items. The Library also expanded its presence in the community, adding the Northeast Branch in 1981, located in the Plymouth Road shopping mall.

Meanwhile, the Friends’ fundraising book sales also continued to grow in popularity, and in 1980, under the direction of Book Chairwoman Elizabeth Ong, they opened a bookshop in the basement of the Downtown Library, which continues to be successful today.