White Pine County Library
🏢 White Pine County · Ely, Nevada
White Pine County Library
Ely's only public library anchors a copper-mining county nearly 300 miles from Nevada's population centers — and digitizes over a century of local history including newspapers back to 1903 that exist nowhere else online.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–6pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–6pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–6pm |
| Thursday | 9am–6pm |
| Friday | 9am–5pm |
| Saturday | 10am–2pm (1st & 3rd Saturdays only) |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 950 Campton Street, Ely, NV 89301
Phone: (775) 293-6900
Website: whitepinecounty.net
Plus Code: 85F764X6+5J (Ely, 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 White Pine County Library
White Pine County Library has served the high-desert community of Ely for decades, anchoring civic life in a copper-mining town nearly 300 miles from the nearest metropolitan area. Housed on Campton Street in central Ely, the library is the sole public library in White Pine County, making it the primary free information resource for residents spread across nearly 9,000 square miles of basin-and-range terrain. The library is a member of the Nevada Library Cooperative, giving its roughly 8,800 county residents shared catalog access to hundreds of thousands of items statewide. It has received IMLS grants for technology programming and for digitizing over 79,000 pages of historic White Pine County newspapers and yearbooks dating to 1903 — records that exist nowhere else in public digital form. Its age-grouped summer reading program, from Baby Bounce through Teen Club, is sponsored annually by KGHM Robinson, the copper-mining company whose predecessor operations built the community that built this library.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Sole public library for all of White Pine County's ~8,800 residents across 8,877 square miles of Nevada high desert
- Member of the Nevada Library Cooperative, giving access to a shared statewide Aspen Discovery catalog and OverDrive/Libby digital lending
- IMLS/LSTA-funded digital archive: 79,000+ pages of historic White Pine County newspapers (1903–present) and high school yearbooks at ely.advantage-preservation.com
- Age-grouped summer reading program (Baby Bounce through Teen Club) sponsored by KGHM Robinson copper mine
- IMLS grant recipient for technology programming including 3D printing and coding instruction
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Ely cardholders access Nevada's statewide collections and the library's own digitized archives free:
📚 Services
- Book, magazine, audiobook, and DVD circulation
- Public internet computers and free Wi-Fi
- Printing, copying, and scanning
- Interlibrary loan (ILL) through the Nevada Library Cooperative
- Nevada Library Cooperative shared statewide catalog (Aspen Discovery)
- Children's and young adult programming
- Local history resources and IMLS-funded historical newspaper archive access
- Reference and research assistance
🎸 Programs
- Summer Reading Program (age-grouped: Baby Bounce ages 0–2, Preschool Story Hour ages 3–4, Roaring Readers ages 5–7, Atlas Club ages 8–10, 11-and-Up Club) — sponsored by KGHM Robinson
- Preschool Story Hour (weekly during school year, Tuesdays 10am)
- Baby Bounce (weekly, Mondays 10am during summer)
- Technology programming: 3D printing demonstrations and coding classes (IMLS-funded; verify current availability)
- Poetry workshops and author visits
📍 Nearby Libraries in Nevada's High Desert
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Does White Pine County Library hold historical records about Ely's copper-mining era?
Yes. The library hosts a digital archive at ely.advantage-preservation.com containing over 79,000 pages of historic White Pine County newspapers — including the Ely Daily Times (1920–1942) and The White Pine News (1903–1923) — that document the copper-boom years in detail. The project was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through Nevada's LSTA program. Physical local-history materials may also be available; ask at the reference desk.
Is the library open every Saturday?
No. White Pine County Library is open only on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month, from 10am to 2pm. Monday through Thursday hours are 9am–6pm, and Fridays are 9am–5pm. The library is closed on Sundays and on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays.
Can I access e-books and digital resources remotely with a White Pine County library card?
Yes. Cardholders can borrow e-books and audiobooks through Libby (powered by the Nevada Library Cooperative's OverDrive platform at fuelyourmind.overdrive.com) and access statewide databases through the Nevada State Library at nsla.nv.gov/az/databases, including business research tools, genealogy resources, and Nevada news archives — all free with a valid library card.
Is White Pine County Library the closest public library to Great Basin National Park?
Yes. The library in Ely, about 65 miles west of Great Basin National Park's visitor center, is the closest public library to the park. The next nearest libraries in Nevada's high desert are in Round Mountain and Tonopah, both well over 100 miles away. Ely is also the principal gateway town for visitors heading to the park along U.S. Route 50.
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