Butler Area Public Library
🏢 Butler County Federated Library System · Butler, Pennsylvania
Butler Area Public Library
Founded in 1894 by 123 Butler women and housed since 1921 in a Carnegie-funded building on N. McKean Street, Butler Area Public Library anchors county-wide library service as headquarters of the nine-member Butler County Federated Library System.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–5pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–7pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–7pm |
| Thursday | 10am–7pm |
| Friday | 9am–5pm |
| Saturday | 8:30am–4pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 218 N. McKean Street, Butler, PA 16001
Phone: (724) 287-1715
Website: butlerlibrary.info
Plus Code: 87G2V474+5G (Butler, PA)
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Butler Area Public Library
Butler Area Public Library traces its roots to February 16–17, 1894, when 123 members of the local Literary Club pooled 432 books and rented a room downtown — squeezed between grocers, a fishmonger, and horse stables — to create Butler County's first public library. The institution occupied three more rented spaces before the community raised funds, with help from the Carnegie Foundation, to construct a permanent home on North McKean Street that opened September 20, 1921. Major expansions doubled the building in 1966, and a thorough renovation completed in 2003 modernized the facility; the Edgar Weir family later funded the second-floor genealogy room that now houses the county's largest family-history collection. Today the library serves as headquarters of the nine-member Butler County Federated Library System, and a single BCFLS library card opens the combined collection — and shared digital resources — across all nine branches. Recognized in 2019 as a PA Forward Gold Star Library, one of only two in Butler County to earn that distinction, the library operates as a full-service community information and literacy center for the city and surrounding region.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Carnegie-funded 1921 building, still on its original North McKean Street site — over a century of continuous service from the same address
- Weir Genealogy Room (second floor): the largest genealogical collection in Butler County, with 4,500 volumes, 1,000 microfilm rolls, 1,000+ family files, and a searchable obituary index of more than 476,000 names spanning 1818 to present
- Headquarters library of the nine-member Butler County Federated Library System — one card borrows across all nine branches countywide
- PA Forward Gold Star Library (2019) — one of only two Butler County libraries to earn this certification for literacy and digital-skills programming
- Family History Fridays On-Demand Video Series: free beginner-to-advanced genealogy tutorials covering Ancestry research, courthouse record indexes, and historical mapping
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Butler Area cardholders can borrow, stream, and research around the clock through Pennsylvania's shared digital collections:
📚 Services
- Weir Genealogy Room: 4,500 volumes, 1,000 microfilm rolls, obituary index (476K+ names, 1818–present), estate files, oral histories, Butler Eagle Newspaper Photo Index
- Ancestry Library Edition & My Heritage Library Edition — on-site database access
- Public computers (18 stations) with one-on-one technology training, printing and free Wi-Fi
- Meeting rooms available to community groups
- Book Club To Go — pre-curated book sets for checkout by library cardholders
- Job search resources and Professional Resource Center
- Digital literacy programs (Applied Digital Skills, Digital Learn Portal, Ready Set Bank)
- Community resource referrals: food assistance, housing, health, veterans' services, VITA free tax prep
🎸 Programs
- Children's storytimes and youth programming
- 100 Books Before High School Graduation (grades 3–12)
- Tween & teen programs (grades 5–12)
- Family History Fridays On-Demand Video Series (beginner to advanced genealogy)
- Flannel Forest Fest — annual community event with decorated trees, storywalk, games and music
- Virtual yoga classes for adults and children (Chair Yoga, Bendy Bookworm Yoga for Kids)
- Fiero Code — free coding software for ages 8–18 (HTML, Python, JavaScript)
📍 Nearby Libraries in Western Pennsylvania
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Butler · Browse all Pennsylvania libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
When did the Butler Area Public Library move to its current North McKean Street building, and what is the Carnegie connection?
The library opened at 218 N. McKean Street on September 20, 1921, funded in part by the Carnegie Foundation along with local community fundraising. It was the library's fifth home — four rented locations preceded it, including the founding 1894 room squeezed between downtown grocers, a fishmonger, and horse stables. The building was doubled in size in 1966 and fully renovated in 2003, but the Carnegie-era address has been in continuous use for over a century.
What is in the Weir Genealogy Room, and who can use it?
The Edgar Weir family funded the genealogy room in 1987 on the library's second floor (accessible by elevator or stairs). It holds 4,500 volumes of local and county history, 1,000 microfilm rolls of census and newspaper records, more than 1,000 family files, Butler County estate files, Poor Farm records, Standard Steel Car Company employee records, and a searchable obituary and newspaper index spanning 1818 to 2020 with over 476,000 names. The room is open to the public during regular library hours (Monday & Friday 9am–4:45pm; Tuesday–Thursday 10am–6:45pm; Saturday 8:30am–3:45pm); staff assistance is available, and an appointment is recommended for research guidance.
Does a Butler Area library card work at other Butler County libraries?
Yes. Butler Area Public Library is the headquarters of the Butler County Federated Library System, a consortium of nine member libraries across the county — including branches in Mars, Cranberry, Zelienople, Slippery Rock, Evans City, Prospect, and South Butler. One BCFLS card allows you to borrow from the combined physical collection and access shared digital resources (including Libby and POWER Library) at any member branch.
What is the PA Forward Gold Star designation, and what programs does it reflect?
Butler Area Public Library received a Gold Star from PA Forward and the Pennsylvania Library Association in October 2019, making it one of only 107 libraries statewide — and one of just two in Butler County — to earn this recognition. The Gold Star certifies the library's commitment to five 21st-century literacies: basic literacy (youth storytimes and adult tutoring spaces), information literacy (18 public computers with one-on-one training), civic and social literacy, health literacy, and financial literacy through resources that help residents and small-business owners meet financial goals.
📜 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.
📅 This library has meeting & community rooms. See how library meeting rooms work — booking, policies and fees — and find other libraries with meeting or community rooms meeting rooms by state.
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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.