Hedberg Public Library
🏢 Prairie Lakes Library System · Janesville, Wisconsin
Hedberg Public Library
Janesville's public library sits downtown at 316 South Main Street beside the Rock River, open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with a second HPL Express location at Uptown Janesville for quick holds and browsing.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 9am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 9am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–8pm |
| Thursday | 9am–8pm |
| Friday | 9am–5pm |
| Saturday | 9am–5pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 316 South Main Street, Janesville, WI 53545
Phone: (608) 758-6600
Website: hedbergpubliclibrary.org
Plus Code: 86JGMXHJ+M9 (Janesville, WI)
📱 Scan for directions
Point your phone camera at the code to open turn-by-turn directions in Google Maps.
👋 Use the Library Online
📍 Plan your visit
🚉 Getting there
316 S Main St, Janesville, WI 53545. Get transit & driving directions → (live subway, bus & car routes).
🚘 Parking
Free parking garage, free parking lot, free street parking nearby.
♿ Accessibility
Includes assistive hearing loop, wheelchair-accessible entrance, accessible parking.
🛀 Amenities
Baby changing table.
⭐ Visitor rating
4.7 / 5 from 253 Google reviews.
🕑 Best time to go
Usually calmest soon after opening; busiest around 5 pm.
Visit details from the library’s Google Business Profile, verified October 2026 — confirm on official page before a special-date trip.
📖 About Hedberg Public Library
Hedberg Public Library serves Janesville, Wisconsin, with roots reaching back to 1865, when it began as a reading room for the Young Men's Association; a 1884 referendum made it the tax-supported Janesville Public Library. Its first permanent building opened in 1903 on South Main Street with help from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and the estate of F. S. Eldred. The library moved into its current 41,000-square-foot building at 316 South Main Street in April 1968, then grew again in the mid-1990s: a founding gift from Don and Gerry Hedberg — which ultimately reached about $4.66 million — anchored an $8 million expansion, and when the enlarged 63,000-square-foot building reopened in June 1996 it was renamed the Hedberg Public Library in their honor. A further interior renovation was completed in spring 2020. The library is a member of the Prairie Lakes Library System and shares the SHARE catalog, so one card borrows across dozens of libraries in Rock, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha counties.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Downtown flagship at 316 South Main Street beside the Rock River, open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday
- HPL Express at Uptown Janesville (2500 Milton Avenue) for browsing, holds pickup and programs, open Monday–Saturday
- Named for Don & Gerry Hedberg, whose ~$4.66 million gift anchored the 1990s expansion that reopened in June 1996
- Member of the Prairie Lakes Library System — one SHARE card borrows across libraries in Rock, Walworth, Racine & Kenosha counties
- Streaming and learning through Kanopy, LinkedIn Learning and NoveList Plus, plus Wisconsin's statewide collections
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Janesville cardholders can stream, download and research free through Wisconsin's shared collections:
📚 Services
- SHARE shared catalog through the Prairie Lakes Library System
- HPL Express pickup location at Uptown Janesville
- Meeting & study rooms you can reserve
- Public computers, printing & free Wi-Fi
- Interlibrary loan across the SHARE consortium
- LinkedIn Learning & NoveList Plus for skills and reader's advisory
- Youth, teen & adult collections plus local history resources
🎸 Programs
- Children's storytimes & early-literacy programs
- Summer reading for all ages
- Teen programming & activities
- Book clubs & author events
- Community office hours & partner programs
📍 Nearby Libraries in Southern Wisconsin
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Janesville · Browse all Wisconsin libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What unusual items can I borrow from Hedberg Public Library's Library of Things?
Hedberg's Library of Things lends non-traditional items such as a telescope, an Amazon Firestick, lawn games like cornhole and croquet, a pickleball/volleyball/badminton net set, baking tools including a bread-proofing basket and digital kitchen scale, a digital multimeter, and experience passes to venues like the Milwaukee Art Museum and Rotary Botanical Gardens. Most items check out for three weeks to anyone with a valid Rock County library card, though passes have their own terms and return at the desk. See what you can borrow besides books.
Does Hedberg Public Library offer tech help for older adults?
Yes. The library runs IGeTS (Intergenerational Tech Support), a program that pairs patrons with helpers for one-on-one technology assistance, serving adults age 50 and older as well as adults 18+ with disabilities. It complements the library's computer, printing and 3D-printing services.
What are Hedberg Public Library's hours in Janesville?
The main library at 316 South Main Street is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed on Sundays. The HPL Express location at 2500 Milton Avenue keeps its own hours; check the library's Hours & Locations page for current times before a special trip.
Where did the Hedberg Public Library name come from?
The library is named for Don and Gerry Hedberg, whose founding gift — which grew to roughly $4.66 million — anchored an $8 million expansion in the 1990s. When the enlarged 63,000-square-foot building reopened in June 1996, the former Janesville Public Library was renamed the Hedberg Public Library in their honor.
What is HPL Express and where is it?
HPL Express is Hedberg's second location, inside Uptown Janesville at 2500 Milton Avenue. It's a convenient spot to browse materials, pick up holds and attend programs on the north side of town, separate from the downtown Main Street library.
Can I use my Hedberg library card at other libraries?
Yes. Hedberg belongs to the Prairie Lakes Library System and the SHARE catalog, a shared network covering libraries across Rock, Walworth, Racine and Kenosha counties. A single card lets you borrow, place holds and pick up materials at any SHARE member library and reach the whole shared collection 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 has study rooms. See how library study rooms work — booking, time limits and quiet vs group rooms — and find other libraries with study rooms libraries with study rooms 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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✓ Hours & details last verified from official sources in September 2026.