Fresno County Public Library

The Fresno County Public Library provides books, ebooks, music, movies, magazines, newspapers, and services through its Central Resource Library and its 32 branches throughout Fresno County, California.

The library is part of the [http://www.sjvls.org/index.html San Joaquin Valley Library System (SLVLS)] ; a cooperative network of 9 public library jurisdictions in the counties of Fresno, [http://www.co.kern.ca.us/ Kern] , [http://www.countyofkings.com/ Kings] , [http://www.madera-county.com/ Madera] , [http://www.mariposacounty.org/ Mariposa] and [http://www.co.tulare.ca.us/ 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 3 of its branches (Fowler, Mendota, and Auberry) but none of these branches are near the city of Fresno.

Library Web pages

[http://www.fresnolibrary.org Fresno County Library Home Page]

[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/spanish Spanish Home Page]

[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/child Children’s Page]

[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/teen Teen's Page]

[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/calif/index.html California History and Geneaology Room]

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 [http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/sel.html Selma] , [http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/clo.html Clovis] and [http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/sang.html Sanger] between 1906 and 1916.
Miss 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, 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 and journals and magazines, Library services include:

Literacy Tutoring	Families for Literacy Program
Adult Programs	Grandparents/Grandreaders Program
Pre-School, Children and Teen Programs	Children and Teen Summer Reading Programs
Outreach to Schools	California History & Genealogy Room at the Central Library
Doris Gates Children’s Room at the Central Library	Dial-A-Story
Talking Book Library for the Blind	Community Bookmobile
Daycare Bookmobile	Aprendovan Literacy Bookmobile
Community Meeting Rooms	Study Rooms
Online Library Catalog	Interlibrary Loan
Public Internet Computers at Every Location	Free Computer Classes
Electronic Homework Resources	Electronic Databases
Professional Library Collection	Government Documents Repository
Recordings	Audio Cassettes and Music CDs
DVDs, Videocassettes and Films	Reference Assistance
Live Homework Help	Ask a Librarian
Business Resources	Career Development
Services to Seniors	Touchtone Service for the Deaf/Persons with Hearing Impairments

upport Groups

[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/help/fol/index.html Friends of the Fresno County Library] [http://www.fresnolibrary.org/help/fol/index.html Branch Friends]

Branches

[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/aubfol.html Auberry]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/lat.html Laton]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/bear.html Bear Mountain]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/literacy/index.html Literacy Service Center]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/bcr.html Big Creek]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/men.html Mendota]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/car.html Caruthers]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/mosq.html Mosqueda]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/cc.html Cedar Clinton]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/orco.html Orange Cove]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/frsn.html Central]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/parl.html Parlier]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/calif/index.html California History & Genealogy Room]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/pdra.html Piedra]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/bookmobile.html Community Bookmobile]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/pine.html Pinedale]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/clo.html Clovis]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/pol.html Politi]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/child/askch/dgr.html Doris Gates Room]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/reed.html Reedley]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/east.html Easton]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/rivd.html Riverdale]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/fig.html Fig Garden]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/joaq.html San Joaquin]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/frb.html Firebaugh]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/sang.html Sanger]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/fowl.html Fowler]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/sel.html Selma]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/gil.html Gillis]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/seniors/index.html Senior Resource Center Library]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/ivy.html Ivy Center]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/shlk.html Shaver Lake]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/kbrg.html Kingsburg]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/sun.html Sunnyside]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/kman.html Kerman]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/tblb/index.html Talking Book Library for the Blind]
[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/tran.html Tranquility]	[http://www.fresnolibrary.org/branch/wdwd.html Woodward Park]