Oak Ridge Public Library
🏢 City of Oak Ridge · Oak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge Public Library
Born in May 1944 to feed the reading needs of the secret Manhattan Project city, the Oak Ridge Public Library is now a 111,000-item city library on the Turnpike — home to the Oak Ridge Room and the Center for Oak Ridge Oral History, one of the country's richest archives of World War II atomic-era voices.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–8pm |
| Thursday | 10am–8pm |
| Friday | 10am–6pm |
| Saturday | 10am–6pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830
Phone: (865) 425-3455
Website: orpl.oakridgetn.gov
Plus Code: 868Q2P7R+84 (Oak Ridge, TN)
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Oak Ridge Public Library
The Oak Ridge Public Library opened on May 29, 1944, when Oak Ridge was a fenced, government-run town of some 75,000 people building the atomic bomb — residents wanted books and magazines, and wartime secrecy made them hard to get, so Boy Scouts collected and delivered donated reading material to dormitories, hospitals, and gathering spots across town. Its first building stood at the corner of Kentucky and Tennessee Avenues near Jackson Square with about 1,700 books. In 1970 the library moved to its current home at 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike, where it now holds roughly 111,000 books, movies, music, and audiobooks plus a deep slate of digital collections. In 1986 the library dedicated the Oak Ridge Room, a local-history collection documenting the pre-1942 communities of Elza, Scarboro, Robertsville, and the Wheat community, as well as the founding of the atomic city itself. The library also hosts the Center for Oak Ridge Oral History (COROH), an online archive of hundreds of audio and video interviews with Manhattan Project workers and longtime residents, and it operates as part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park story that draws visitors from around the world.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Opened May 29, 1944 to serve the secret Manhattan Project city — reading material was delivered by Boy Scouts during wartime secrecy
- Moved to its current 1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike building in 1970; collection of roughly 111,000 books, movies, music & audiobooks
- Oak Ridge Room (dedicated 1986) — local-history collection covering Elza, Scarboro, Robertsville, the Wheat community & the atomic city
- Center for Oak Ridge Oral History (COROH) — a searchable online archive of hundreds of Manhattan Project-era and resident interviews
- Seed Library, test proctoring by appointment, meeting spaces, and youth programs including Ruff Reading with therapy dogs
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Oak Ridge cardholders can read, stream, and research free through the library's digital shelf and Tennessee's shared resources:
📚 Services
- Oak Ridge Room — local & regional history collection, microfilm of The Oak Ridger, vertical files & Anderson/Roane County reference
- Center for Oak Ridge Oral History (COROH) digital archive
- Seed Library — borrow seeds to grow at home
- Test proctoring by appointment
- Meeting and community program spaces with a public auditorium
- Public computers, free Wi-Fi, printing & mobile printing
- Spanish-language materials and youth collections
🎸 Programs
- Story Time — Mondays for children under 3 and Tuesdays for ages 3–5
- Ruff Reading — children practice reading aloud to therapy animals (partnership with H.A.B.I.T.)
- Youth and teen programming throughout the year
- Local-history and genealogy research assistance in the Oak Ridge Room
- Author talks, classes, and community events in the library auditorium
📍 Nearby Libraries in East Tennessee
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Oak Ridge · Browse all Tennessee libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Oak Ridge Room and what does it hold?
The Oak Ridge Room, dedicated in 1986, is the library's local-history collection. It documents the pre-1942 Anderson and Roane County communities of Elza, Scarboro, Robertsville, and Wheat, along with the founding and growth of the atomic city of Oak Ridge. Holdings include reference materials on area communities, microfilm copies of The Oak Ridger newspaper, and vertical files. It is free to use, and staff can help with local and family-history research.
How can I access the Center for Oak Ridge Oral History?
The Center for Oak Ridge Oral History (COROH) is a free online archive hosted by the library, preserving hundreds of audio and video interviews with Manhattan Project workers and longtime Oak Ridge residents. It is searchable through the library's digital collections, so you can browse and listen from home without a library card. It is a primary-source companion to the Manhattan Project National Historical Park.
Is the library open on Sundays?
Sunday hours are seasonal. The library is open Monday through Thursday 10am–8pm and Friday and Saturday 10am–6pm year-round. Sunday afternoon hours run during the school year (roughly late September into spring) and are suspended in the summer, from around Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend. Check the library's website or call (865) 425-3455 to confirm current Sunday hours before visiting.
Does Oak Ridge Public Library offer a Seed Library or test proctoring?
Yes. The library runs a Seed Library where you can take seeds to grow at home, and it offers exam proctoring by appointment. It also provides public computers, free Wi-Fi, printing and mobile printing, meeting spaces, and youth programs such as Ruff Reading, where children read aloud to therapy animals.
📜 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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