The Boulder Public Library was originally housed in the
Carnegie library on Pine Street, which was built in 1906, before moving to its present location on Canyon Boulevard in 1961. The original 1906 library was initially built with $15,000 donated by
Andrew Carnegie. When the library moved to its present location, the architect selection committee selected James M. Hunter and Associates to execute the new design and construction of the new building. It was designed as a two-story building of 23,800 square feet, featuring sculpture galleries, reading rooms, gathering spaces, video viewing rooms, and music listening rooms. On November 4, 1959, the City Council voted to provide $450,000 in bonds to fund the design and construction. The final cost of the building was $486,437.19. The library was dedicated on November 12, 1961. In late 2013, the main library temporarily housed the Boulder City Council while renovations were made to the main council building. Major renovations to the library began in 2014. The renovations covered expansion and repairs to the main branch, and addressed aging
electrical and data wiring among other repairs. The renovations were funded by $2.45 million in
municipal bonds, approved as part of a larger bond initiative by Boulder voters in a 2011
referendum. In March 2019, the Boulder Public Library eliminated
overdue fines. In November 2022, the Boulder Public Library District was formed. The district was formed as a result of a referendum, leading to the decoupling of the library from the municipality of
Boulder. The new library district will be funded by a property tax mill levy. ==Collection and circulation==