Prescott Public Library, City of Prescott

The seed for the Prescott Public Library was planted in June 1899, when Julia Goldwater, a member of Prescott's Monday Club, wrote to philanthropist Andrew Carnegie about the need for a library in Prescott, which was truly a frontier town at the time.

"In no place could such a room be more needed than in Prescott, with its large floating population of young men, many of whom cannot afford to keep their own rooms lighted and heated. The lack of "innocent amusements" in Prescott had left those young men no recourse but to frequent the community's "saloons and dives." It is our aim and hope to make the library free and maintain a free reading room."

Prescott's Carnegie Library opened its doors on Gurley Street in November 1903. The Carnegie Library served the community for over 70 years. Growth of Prescott resulted in a larger library in 1975 at 215 E. Goodwin St. This facility was renovated again in 2005, opening in 2006 as a greatly expanded and updated library.

Prescott Public Library currently has a collection of more than 175,000 items, annually circulates more than 800,000 items, and counts over 450,000 visits each year. Prescott Public Library is part of the Yavapai Library Network, a network comprised of K-12, academic, public, private, and special libraries. Meeting rooms, a café and patio area, reading rooms with spectacular views of Thumb Butte and Granite Mountain, an early literacy play space, a recently renovated teen area and art that includes an expansive outdoor murals and a sidewalk timeline all contribute to the truth of Prescott Public Library's tagline: "Prescott's Living Room."