Churchill County Library
🏢 Churchill County Library · Fallon, Nevada
Churchill County Library
Churchill County Library at 553 South Maine Street has served the agricultural heart of Nevada since 1905, when Mrs. Callie Ferguson and Mrs. Mary Black ran the first lending library in the old post office for workers on the Lahontan Dam project. Dedicated in its current building in April 1967 with a $286,000 Max C. Fleischmann Foundation grant, it now offers STEAM Fridays, Reading With Rover therapy-dog sessions, EBSCO research databases and free mobile printing through PrinterOn.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–6pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–6pm |
| Thursday | 9am–6pm |
| Friday | 9am–6pm |
| Saturday | 9am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 553 South Maine Street, Fallon, NV 89406
Phone: (775) 423-7581
Website: churchillcountylibrary.org
Plus Code: 85F3F69F+V6 (Fallon, NV)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Churchill County Library
The Churchill County Library is the public library of Fallon, the seat of Churchill County in north-central Nevada's Lahontan Valley — an agricultural oasis in the Great Basin desert irrigated by the Newlands Reclamation Project. The library traces its origins to 1905, when Mrs. Callie Ferguson and Mrs. Mary Black operated the first lending library in the old post office, initially serving workers on the Lahontan Dam project. A county reading room was established in 1915 and Mrs. Ethel Hoyt became the first county librarian after state law enabled counties to establish reading rooms in 1925. After decades in temporary spaces at 37 South Maine Street (from 1932), the library was permanently housed at its current address in April 1967, when the new building was dedicated at a cost of just over $286,000 — made possible by a $111,208 grant from the Max C. Fleischmann Foundation secured by director Mrs. Dora Witt. A Library Annex was added in 2006 and a Re-purpose Project modernized the facility in February 2015. Today the library provides EBSCO research databases including Business Source Elite, ERIC, Health Source, and History Reference Source; hoopla and Libby for digital borrowing; Kanopy for streaming; and Beanstack for reading challenges. Programs include weekly STEAM activities on Fridays, Wednesday storytimes, and the popular Reading With Rover therapy-dog sessions on the second Thursday of each month.
⭐ What makes this library special
- One of Nevada's longest-serving libraries — origins traced to 1905, when the first lending library served Lahontan Dam workers in Fallon's old post office
- Permanent building at 553 South Maine Street dedicated April 1967, funded in part by a Max C. Fleischmann Foundation grant secured by director Dora Witt
- STEAM Friday activities (1:30–3 pm) for children and teens — hands-on science, technology, engineering, art and math
- Reading With Rover — therapy-dog reading sessions on the 2nd Thursday of each month for young readers
- Comprehensive EBSCO database suite including Business Source Elite, ERIC and Health Source alongside hoopla, Libby and Kanopy
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Churchill County Library cardholders have free access to an extensive suite of digital research and entertainment resources:
📚 Services
- EBSCO database suite — Business Source Elite, ERIC, Health Source, History Reference Source, MasterFILE Complete, Points of View and more
- Libby, hoopla and Kanopy for eBooks, audiobooks and streaming
- Ancestry Library Edition for genealogy (in-library use only)
- Mobile printing via PrinterOn — print from your phone or laptop
- Public computers and free Wi-Fi
- Meeting room and program space reservations
- Homeschool resources and business research tools
- Reference, reader's advisory and tech help by appointment
🎸 Programs
- STEAM Friday activities, 1:30–3:00 pm — science, technology, engineering, art & math for youth
- Storytime — Wednesdays 11 am and Thursdays 10–11 am (ages 3–5)
- Reading With Rover — therapy-dog reading sessions, 2nd Thursday 3:30 pm
- Game Night — Wednesdays 4:00–5:30 pm
- Beanstack reading challenges with badges and prizes
- Summer reading program for all ages
📍 Nearby Libraries in Northern Nevada
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How old is the Churchill County Library and how did it start?
The Churchill County Library traces its origins to 1905, when Mrs. Callie Ferguson and Mrs. Mary Black operated the first lending library in Fallon's old post office, serving workers on the Lahontan Dam project. A county reading room was established in 1915, the first county librarian was appointed after the 1925 state library law, and the permanent building at 553 South Maine Street was dedicated in April 1967.
What is Reading With Rover at Churchill County Library?
Reading With Rover is a therapy-dog reading program held on the second Thursday of each month at 3:30 pm. Children read aloud to a certified therapy dog in a calm, judgment-free setting — an approach shown to build reading confidence and fluency. No sign-up is required; check the library's events calendar for the current schedule.
Does Churchill County Library offer STEAM programs for kids?
Yes. Every Friday from 1:30 to 3:00 pm the library hosts STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) activities for children and teens. Drop-in sessions are free with no registration required. Topics rotate and are designed to build hands-on skills and curiosity.
What research databases can I access with a Churchill County Library card?
Cardholders have free access to multiple EBSCO databases — including Business Source Elite (492 full-text journals), ERIC (1.3 million education records), Health Source (consumer and nursing editions), History Reference Source (650,000+ full-text records), MasterFILE Complete and Points of View. Ancestry Library Edition is available for in-building genealogy research, and the Online Nevada Encyclopedia is freely accessible online.
📜 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 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.
✎ Notice something out of date? Suggest a correction and we’ll verify and update it.
✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.