Billings Public Library
🏢 City of Billings · Billings, Montana
Billings Public Library
Montana's largest public library by circulation, the Billings Public Library fills a 66,000-square-foot, Will Bruder-designed building that opened downtown at 510 North Broadway in January 2014 and stays open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–8pm |
| Thursday | 9am–8pm |
| Friday | 9am–6pm |
| Saturday | 9am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 510 North Broadway, Billings, MT 59101
Phone: (406) 657-8258
Website: billingslibrary.org
Plus Code: 85QHQFPQ+9R (Billings, MT)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Billings Public Library
The Billings Public Library serves the City of Billings and Yellowstone County — Montana's most populous city — from a striking two-story building on North Broadway. The library grew out of the Parmly Billings Library, endowed by pioneer Frederick Billings and his son Parmly, and for decades occupied a converted building at the same downtown site. After voters and an anonymous $2 million donor backed a new landmark, the city hired architect Will Bruder, and the current 66,000-square-foot library opened January 6, 2014, replacing the old Parmly building block. Wrapped in a distinctive perforated screen with soaring windows and an interior courtyard, it holds fiction, nonfiction, audiobooks, DVDs, music, video games and a deep local-history collection. The catalog runs through the statewide Montana Shared Catalog, so a Billings card also searches and requests materials held by member libraries across the state.
⭐ What makes this library special
- 66,000-square-foot, two-story downtown building designed by architect Will Bruder, opened January 6, 2014
- Successor to the historic Parmly Billings Library, endowed by the family of Northern Pacific Railway financier Frederick Billings
- Built with the help of an anonymous $2 million gift that required the new library be of 'architectural significance'
- Interior courtyard, high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows wrapped in a signature perforated metal screen
- Open late until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday for after-work and after-school visits
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Billings cardholders can stream, borrow and research free through Montana's shared digital collections:
📚 Services
- Physical collection cataloged via the statewide Montana Shared Catalog (SirsiDynix)
- Public computers, printing and free building-wide Wi-Fi
- Mobile Wi-Fi hotspots for checkout
- Notary public service
- Meeting and study spaces in the downtown building
- Local history and genealogy collection
- Video games, DVDs, music CDs and audiobooks to borrow
🎸 Programs
- Children's storytimes
- Summer Reading Program
- Teen programming
- Author talks and community events
- Year-round programming for all ages
📍 Nearby Libraries in Montana
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
When did the current Billings Public Library building open, and who designed it?
The 66,000-square-foot library at 510 North Broadway opened to the public on January 6, 2014. It was designed by nationally known architect Will Bruder, chosen after an anonymous donor gave $2 million with the condition that the new building be of 'architectural significance.' It replaced the former Parmly Billings Library that had long stood on the same downtown block.
What are the library's hours, and is it open on weekends?
The library is open 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m.–6 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday. It is closed on Sunday. Hours can change around holidays, so call (406) 657-8258 or check billingslibrary.org before a special trip.
Does a Billings library card work at other Montana libraries?
The library's collection is cataloged through the Montana Shared Catalog, a statewide consortium that links many Montana public libraries. That shared catalog lets you search and request materials held across member libraries, and your card also unlocks statewide digital services like MontanaLibrary2Go (Libby) and hoopla.
What is the connection to the Parmly Billings Library?
Billings Public Library descends from the Parmly Billings Library, endowed in the late 1800s in memory of Parmly Billings, son of Northern Pacific Railway financier Frederick Billings, for whom the city is named. The historic Parmly building on North Broadway served the city for decades before the current Will Bruder-designed library replaced it on the same site in 2014.
📋 This library offers notary services. See what a library notary can do — what to bring, fees and appointments — and find other libraries with a notary notary services by state.
📜 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.
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