The Fresno County Public Library provides books, ebooks, music, movies, magazines, newspapers, and services through its Central Resource Library and its 34 branches throughout Fresno County, California. The library system is headquartered in Fresno. The library is part of the San Joaquin Valley Library System ; a cooperative network of 10 public library jurisdictions in the counties of Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced and Tulare. The Fresno County Public Library provides free access to library services and materials to enhance the quality of lives and further lifelong learning through books, DVDs, CDs, technology, programs, and services that inform, enlighten and entertain people of all ages. FCPL offers wireless Internet access at 12 of its branches.
History of the Library
The Fresno County Public Library was founded in 1910 and housed at that time in the Fresno City Library building, which had been constructed in 1904 with a $30,000 donation from philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Subsequent gifts provided Carnegie libraries in Selma, Clovis and Sanger between 1906 and 1916. Sarah E. McCardle was the first County Librarian, developing the library into the then second largest county library in the state with 54 branches, 152 elementary and high school libraries and a circulation of 748,553 volumes. In 1917, the two organizations merged and the Fresno County Board of Supervisors became the governing body for the County Library system, with 12 communities initially designated to have county branches. By the late 1950s, the first Carnegie library building had outgrown its original quarters and the time had come to replace it with a new Central Library. The present-day Central Library in downtown Fresno opened on April 13, 1959 and today serves as the Headquarters for the Fresno County Public Library and its 32 branch libraries, plus the Literacy Center, Senior Resource Center, the Talking Book Library for the Blind and the California History and Genealogy room with a budget of more than $24.7-million.
Collection size
All Fresno County Public Library branches combined contain approximately:
1,112,241 books
1,903 current periodical subscriptions
1,091,254 government publications
55,953 video materials
96,263 audio materials
Programs and Services
The Library offers Fresno County residents a wealth of information and materials, free of charge, in a variety of formats and languages. In addition to a diverse collection of books, ebooks, magazines, movies and video games, there are also a variety of Library programs. In addition, the library offers bookmobile services to communities.
