Kaukauna Public Library
🏢 Outagamie Waupaca Library System (OWLS) · Kaukauna, Wisconsin
Kaukauna Public Library
Kaukauna Public Library traces its roots to opening day 1899, when every one of its 690 books was checked out — and today it operates from a former Thilmany paper-mill building converted in 2016, pairing Fox Cities industrial history with a Carnegie legacy that earned a $10,000 foundation gift in 2026.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Tuesday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Thursday | 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Friday | 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM |
| Saturday | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 207 Thilmany Rd., Suite 200, Kaukauna, WI 54130
Phone: (920) 766-6340
Website: kaukaunalibrary.org
Plus Code: 86PH7PJM+8V (Kaukauna, WI)
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Kaukauna Public Library
Kaukauna's public library was born on November 25, 1899, when the city council unanimously voted $500 for a collection and the first public library opened inside the city jail at the Lawe Street bridge — every single book checked out on opening day. Supported by a $10,000 Andrew Carnegie grant (accepted January 1903), the Prairie School-style Carnegie building opened to the public on January 1, 1906, and was later added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, recognized for its significance in education and community development. The library joined the Outagamie Waupaca Library System (OWLS) in 1994, expanding shared access across northeastern Wisconsin. By 2012 the historic building had outgrown the collection, and the library moved in 2016 into the former Thilmany Eagle Mill — a Fox Cities landmark — more than doubling its square footage with a grand opening on February 29, 2016. The 2019 David & Rita Nelson Family Interactive Garden added an outdoor learning space featuring a butterfly garden, amphitheater, sandbox with dinosaur bones, and outdoor musical instruments. In March 2026, the Andrew Carnegie Corporation awarded the library $10,000 to honor the nation's 250th anniversary.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Founded November 25, 1899 — every book checked out on opening day
- Original 1906 Carnegie building on the National Register of Historic Places (1984)
- 2016 home in the historic Thilmany Eagle Mill — doubled square footage
- David & Rita Nelson Family Interactive Garden (2019): butterfly garden, amphitheater, sandbox, outdoor instruments
- Kaukauna Memory Project: community oral histories, photos & yearbooks
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Your Kaukauna card unlocks Wisconsin's BadgerLink statewide databases plus the full OWLS digital collection:
📚 Services
- Free public Wi-Fi & computers
- Library of Things (games, puzzles, tools, equipment)
- Wi-Fi hotspot lending
- Remote & wireless printing
- One-on-one technology assistance
- Curbside pickup
- Meeting room rentals
- Teacher packs & field trip coordination
- Local history archives (newspapers, obituaries, yearbooks, photographs)
- Kaukauna Memory Project oral histories
- Little Free Pantry on premises
🎸 Programs
- David & Rita Nelson Family Interactive Garden — outdoor programs & events
- Summer Reading Program (all ages)
- Summer feeding program for youth
- School-year storytimes & children's programming
- Kaukauna Memory Project community recordings
📍 Nearby Libraries in the Fox Cities, WI
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Kaukauna · Browse all Wisconsin libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the David & Rita Nelson Family Interactive Garden?
The garden is a free outdoor learning space adjoining the library, opened October 4, 2019 after five years of planning. It features a butterfly garden, play water pump, raised-bed planters, a sandbox with buried dinosaur bones, an amphitheater, a play canoe, a historic overlook of the Fox River, seating, outdoor musical instruments, and a slinky tunnel — all freely accessible during library hours.
Does Kaukauna Public Library have an outdoor collection or Library of Things?
Yes. The Library of Things includes items like games, puzzles, and household tools that cardholders can borrow. The library also has a Little Free Pantry on its premises. Check the catalog at kaukaunalibrary.org or call (920) 766-6340 for what is currently available.
What is the history of the building at 207 Thilmany Road?
The library moved in 2016 into a converted section of the former Thilmany Pulp & Paper Company's Eagle Mill complex — an industrial Fox Cities landmark. The renovation more than doubled the library's square footage compared to its previous Carnegie building, with a grand opening on February 29, 2016. The original 1906 Carnegie building at 111 Main Ave remains on the National Register of Historic Places.
What is BadgerLink and how do I use it from Kaukauna?
BadgerLink is Wisconsin's statewide collection of licensed online databases, funded by the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and free for all Wisconsin residents. You can access newspapers, encyclopedias, health information, and more at badgerlink.dpi.wi.gov — from home with a Wisconsin library card, or on any in-library computer.
📜 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 lends a “Library of Things.” See what you can borrow besides books and find other libraries with a Library of Things Library of Things by state.
🖨 This library offers printing, copying & fax. See how library printing, copying, scanning and fax services work — costs and mobile printing — and find other libraries that offer them printing & fax by state.
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