Ward County Public Library
🏢 Ward County Public Library · Minot, North Dakota
Ward County Public Library
Ward County Public Library — located in the Ward County Administration Building in Minot — serves residents across Ward and Mountrail Counties through its main location, a Kenmare branch, and a bookmobile that earned the North Dakota State Library's Wheelie Award for six consecutive years from 2018 to 2023.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–8pm |
| Thursday | 9am–8pm |
| Friday | 10am–5pm |
| Saturday | 10am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 225 3rd St SE, Minot, ND 58701
Phone: (701) 852-5388
Website: co.ward.nd.us
Plus Code: 85WW6PM6+9R (Minot, ND)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Ward County Public Library
Ward County Public Library is the county-funded public library serving all residents of Ward County from its main location at 225 Third Street SE in downtown Minot's Ward County Administration Building. A separate entity from the city-funded Minot Public Library, the county library holds more than 50,000 items — books, magazines, audiobooks, DVDs, and records — along with free computer access, wireless internet, and a growing collection of digital resources accessible with a library card. In addition to the main Minot location, the system operates a branch in Kenmare and an extensive bookmobile that covers Ward and Mountrail Counties, making stops at schools and downtown areas, servicing two nursing homes and two senior citizen centers, and carrying book-order service for patrons who want to reserve titles for future visits. The bookmobile has logged enough road hours and circulation to win the Wheelie Award — granted by the North Dakota State Library to the bookmobile with the most hours driven and best circulation per capita — for an unprecedented six consecutive years, 2018 through 2023. The library's collection emphasizes North Dakota and local history, reflecting Minot's character as the commercial center of the northern plains.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Six-time consecutive winner (2018–2023) of the North Dakota State Library Wheelie Award for the bookmobile with the most road hours and best per-capita circulation in the state
- Bookmobile serves Ward & Mountrail Counties, visiting schools, downtown stops, two nursing homes & two senior centers — plus on-demand book orders for future visits
- Kenmare Branch library expands county service south of Minot; regular Story/Craft hour for children at the Kenmare location
- Main location at the Ward County Administration Building (225 3rd St SE) with 50,000+ items, free computers, Wi-Fi & a local North Dakota history collection
- Monthly community events — Adult Crafty Crew, Thursday Story Time for ages 1+, STEAM workshops, and seasonal programs — all free
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Ward County cardholders can access North Dakota's statewide digital resources free of charge:
📚 Services
- Free library card for all Ward County residents
- Bookmobile service covering Ward & Mountrail Counties — including nursing homes & senior centers
- Kenmare Branch library
- 50,000+ item collection: books, magazines, audiobooks, DVDs & records
- Free public computers and wireless internet
- North Dakota and local history collection
- Homebound book-order service via bookmobile
- Meeting and program space
🎸 Programs
- Thursday Story Time (ages 1+) — free, year-round
- Adult Crafty Crew (third Thursday of each month)
- Monthly STEAM events for all ages
- Preschool Playdough sessions
- Children's Summer Reading Program at main library, Kenmare Branch & bookmobile
- Story/Craft hour weekly at Kenmare Branch
📍 Nearby Libraries in North Dakota
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Minot · Browse all North Dakota libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Wheelie Award, and why is Ward County's bookmobile notable?
The Wheelie Award is given each year by the North Dakota State Library to the bookmobile that logs the most road hours and achieves the best circulation per capita in the state. Ward County Public Library's bookmobile won the award six years in a row from 2018 to 2023 — an unprecedented streak — reflecting how extensively the vehicle covers Ward and Mountrail Counties, stopping at schools, downtown Minot, two nursing homes, two senior citizen centers, and accepting book orders for future visits.
Is Ward County Public Library the same as Minot Public Library?
No — they are two separate institutions. Ward County Public Library (225 3rd St SE) is funded by the county and serves all Ward County residents; it also operates the Kenmare Branch and the award-winning bookmobile. Minot Public Library is a separately funded city library. Having a card from one does not automatically entitle you to borrow from the other, but Ward County residents can use both facilities.
How do I borrow eBooks or digital materials with a Ward County library card?
Your free Ward County card gives access to the ND Online Library (North Dakota State Library's statewide Libby/OverDrive collection) for eBooks, audiobooks, and digital magazines. You can also use hoopla to instantly stream or download movies, music, comics, and TV shows with no waitlists. Additional research databases — including eLibrary, Kids InfoBits, and Business Source Premier — are accessible through the library's digital portal.
What children's programs does Ward County Public Library offer regularly?
The main Minot library hosts Thursday Story Time (for ages 1 and up) weekly, monthly STEAM events, Preschool Playdough sessions, and a Summer Reading Program each summer. The Kenmare Branch holds a weekly Story/Craft hour. All programs are free and open to the public.
📜 This library has genealogy & local-history resources. See how library family-history research works and find other libraries with genealogy collections genealogy libraries by state.
👶 This library runs story times for kids. See how library story times work — ages, what happens and that they are free — and find other libraries with story-time programs library story times by state.
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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.