Albany Public Library

In 1914, Albany Public Library opened the doors to its beautiful new facility on the corner of Third Avenue and Ferry Street. This was one of hundreds of new libraries that sprung up throughout the United States because of funds donated by the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

By the late 1960s, Albany outgrew the 5,600 sq. ft. Carnegie Library, and it was time to build a new facility. Through a generous grant of one acre and $200,000 from Fred Meyer and The Fred Meyer Foundation, matched by a $200,000 federal library grant from the Oregon State Library, construction was begun in 1973 on a new 17,000 sq. ft. library. The new Main Library opened with pomp and ceremony on April 21, 1974, ready to serve a population of 21,700 city residents.

Since that opening, the city has more than doubled in size. The Library has continued to be the city's center of information and knowledge, where patrons of all ages and backgrounds come to gather, learn, and grow. Usage and appreciation of the Library is at an all-time high across the page of measurable statistics, which is a wonderful problem to have.

Through a generous anonymous donation, the Library moved into its new 40,000 sq. ft. home in early 2009. Wired for the 21st century, seating for our increasing number of patrons, parking for lots more visitors, and, generally, more accessible to serve our community, your new Library addresses the foreseeable needs of the community.

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