Boise Public Library traces its roots to February 18, 1895, when the women of the Columbian Club opened a subscription library and free reading room in City Hall. For 10 years, the Club kept the reading room alive while helping to secure funds from Andrew Carnegie to construct a true public library. 

Andrew Carnegie awarded library grants to 1406 communities in the early 1900's with the provision that the communities supply land and on-going maintenance.  Columbian Club members persuaded Boise city fathers to provide the matching funds necessary for the administration and maintenance of a Carnegie library.

Boise's Carnegie Public Library opened its doors at 815 W. Washington on June 22, 1905. The institution remained at that site until April 27, 1973, when it moved to its present location at 715 South Capitol Boulevard. City leaders decided that purchasing and renovating the Salt Lake Hardware building at this site was more cost effective than tearing down and rebuilding on the Carnegie site.

In 1965, the Bookmobile service was initiated to expand library service in the city and to reduce crowding in the Carnegie building.  Today, the Bookmobile makes weekly stops at ten locations throughout Boise. 

The Boise Towne Square reading library was added in 1989, soon after the Towne Square mall opened. (This limited-service library facility closed in early 2008, as two new full-service branches opened.)  A Homebound Service was also initiated to serve residents who are physically unable to access the library. 

Computers and Internet Access

As technology evolved, library services also changed. Today, public computers and Internet access are available on each floor of the downtown facility. Patrons can check out CDs and DVDs of movies, music, recorded books and computer software, as well as traditional print materials.

Boise Public Library launched a website in August of 1996, with the assistance of a government grant. The library was the first City department to have a web presence; in fact, the first City website was hosted on the library's server a few years later.  The current version of the library's website was launched in January 2006.

The library's website functions as a virtual branch, offering access to its online catalog, and providing patrons with the ability to locate information and read articles online.  The library subscribes to over 50 subscription databases, providing website access to articles from newspapers, magazines, professional journals and information resources.

Branch libraries

In the late 1990's, it became obvious that the city had outgrown its library, which had been designed to serve a population of 75,000.  The library began to gather community input as a preliminary step to developing a Master Library Facility Plan.  The City Council adopted the resulting plan in 2000, and approved building four new branches.  Two sites were purchased for branch libraries, but a subsequent City Hall scandal put the project on hold. 

In 2005, the Boise City Council agreed with the Library Board’s recommendation to place a bond issue on the February 2006 ballot to fund construction of three full-service branch libraries in the Southeast, West and Northwest areas of Boise.  The bond received a solid majority of votes (57%), but not the two-thirds majority required to pass. 

A new Library Facilities Planning Committee was formed to develop a scaled-down plan for branch libraries that could be accommodated within the City's budget. In October 2006, the City Council approved taking the resulting proposal to the public for comment.  The proposal included phasing in four branches over four years: two 7,500 square foot leased "storefront" libraries in the Central Bench and Northwest Boise areas; and, two 15,000 square foot libraries to be built at the Cole & Ustick and Bown Crossing sites.

In February 2007, following a resoundingly favorable three-month public comment period, the City Council approved the proposed branch library plan and allocated funding to begin work on branch libraries.

The two storefront libraries opened in early 2008; the Library! at Collister is located in the Collister Shopping Center at Collister and State Streets; the Library! at Hillcrest is located in the Hillcrest Shopping Center at Orchard Street and Overland Road.  A larger library is under construction in the Evergreen Plaza at Cole and Ustick, scheduled to open in June 2009.  This will be the first public library the City of Boise has built with public funds. An additional library is planned for Southeast Boise, to open in 2010.  (More branch library information)

Quick Facts and Funding

Approximately 150 employees and many volunteers work together to provide library services to the community. Each year, nearly 75,000 active borrowers check out over 1.5 million items from the library.

Boise Public Library is a part of the City of Boise government and is funded through local property taxes. The Board of Trustees sets policy for operations, while the Friends of the Boise Public Library and the Boise Public Library Foundation provide additional financial support.

To learn more about the history of Boise Public Library, check out a "A Light in the Window of Idaho," edited by Kathleen Rubinow Hodges. The book is an extensive account of the first 100 years of public library service in Boise.

Last Updated: 12/17/2008