The city received its first library, the St. Petersburg Public Library (now
the Mirror Lake Community Library) in 1915 through a grant awarded by the
Carnegie Corporation of New York. This was one of only 10 libraries in Florida to receive Carnegie funding. The $17,500 Carnegie grant was approved and matched by the city and the Mirror Lake site chosen on July 17, 1914. It was opened on December 1, 1915. The Mirror Lake Branch is also significant to the city's architectural history for being one of the earliest Beaux Arts style buildings designed in this area. In 1951 a modern addition was added onto the original Carnegie building, and again in 1991. In 1947 the James W. Johnson Library branch opened as the city's first library for the African American community, as they were previously not allowed at the Mirror Lake Library. The James Weldon Johnson Community Library was relocated from its original location in the Gas Plant district due to the city's urban redevelopment project (which displaced many black residents). In 1981, the Johnson Community Library reopened in the Enoch Davis Center where it was located until 2002, when the current location was built. The Johnson Community Library is currently located next door to the Enoch Davis Center. The city finished building the Main Library in 1964 to serve as a central midtown location. In 2009, the Main Library underwent a $1.2 million interior renovation, which included the addition of 67 new computers. The North Community Library was constructed in 1973 after the city acquired the land. The South Community Library, previously independently housed in the Boyd Hill Nature Center, became part of the city's system in 2002 along with the Johnson Branch, with both libraries receiving new facilities between 13,500 feet and 14,700 feet. The West Community Library at
St. Petersburg College, a joint-use facility that serves both public patrons and SPC students, opened in 2005, replacing the Azalea branch. The Childs Park Community Library is the newest addition to the St. Petersburg Library System, which opened in 2009, located inside the Childs Park YMCA In 2018, Mayor
Rick Kriseman proposed that the Main Library be renamed after
Barack Obama. The city council approved the change later that year, along with $6 million in renovations funded through the "Penny for Pinellas" tax. The library was formally dedicated as the President Barack Obama Main Library in February 2021, with a sign installation during a Black History Month dedication ceremony. After extensive renovations, the newly remodeled library officially reopened to the public on September 27, 2025. == Branches ==