The Ketchikan Public Library is the oldest continually-operating library in the State of Alaska. Founded in 1901 as the Ladies’ Library Association, the subscription library became a true, ‘public’ library in 1943 when the City took on the management and financial responsibility for its operations.

Originally a bookcase that moved from store to store as space allowed, the   library association constructed a building in 1903 in the space that is now the Wells Fargo Bank parking lot. The growing collection was eventually moved to City Hall, and then the pink Federal Building. The library shared the Centennial Building with the historical museum from 1967 to 2013. The library now resides in a beautiful, award-winning building all its own, overlooking  Bear Valley.The Ketchikan Public Library is part of the  First City Libraries  Consortium, which provides quick reliable online access to its catalog and other information available online both statewide and nationally. This system is a cooperative effort between the City of Ketchikan, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough School District, and the University of Alaska Ketchikan Campus Library.

Our mission is to provide informational, educational, and recreational materials and services for the people of the City of Ketchikan and the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. This is accomplished through development, maintenance, and promotion of materials, physical spaces, and programs responsive to the diverse interest and needs of our community. Learn more by visiting our website,  Ketchikan Public Library .

General information: (907) 225-3331

Hours of Operation