Neenah Public Library
🏢 Neenah Public Library · Neenah, Wisconsin
Neenah Public Library
The Neenah Public Library has served Wisconsin's Fox Cities since 1882, growing from a modest subscription library in City Hall to a 50,000-square-foot downtown building on the banks of the Fox River — open six days a week, including evenings until 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | Closed |
| Tuesday | 9am–9pm |
| Wednesday | 9am–9pm |
| Thursday | 9am–9pm |
| Friday | 9am–6pm |
| Saturday | 10am–4pm |
| Sunday | 12pm–4pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 240 E. Wisconsin Ave., Neenah, WI 54956
Phone: (920) 886-6315
Website: neenahlibrary.org
Plus Code: 86PH5GMR+VR (Neenah, WI)
📱 Scan for directions
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Neenah Public Library
The Neenah Public Library dates to February 1882, when civic-minded residents organized the Neenah Library Association, a subscription library. The Common Council voted in 1884 to establish a free public library and reading room in the old City Hall. The turning point came in 1904, when a $28,000 Carnegie library — made possible by land donated along the Fox River and matching funds from philanthropist Theda Clark Peters and Andrew Carnegie — opened to serve the community. From a starting collection of 8,000 volumes in 1904, the library grew to 56,000 books by the 1960s, requiring a 1964 wrap-around addition. In 1998, Neenah voters approved a $5 million referendum to build a new 50,000-square-foot facility on the same Wisconsin Avenue site; the current library opened in June 2000. Today the library holds nearly 190,000 items, recorded 635,072 checkouts in 2024, and serves a community of almost 60,000 residents in Winnebago County. A Local History Collection maintained jointly with Menasha Public Library preserves photographs, directories, oral histories, and books on the Neenah-Menasha area from the mid-1800s onward.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Founded in 1882 as one of Wisconsin's early subscription libraries; free public library since 1884 by Common Council vote
- 1904 Carnegie library funded in part by Neenah philanthropist Theda Clark Peters and Andrew Carnegie; current 50,000-square-foot building opened June 2000
- Open Tuesday through Thursday until 9 p.m. and on both Saturday and Sunday — one of the few Wisconsin public libraries with weekend evening coverage
- Holds nearly 190,000 items and logged over 635,000 checkouts in 2024, serving a regional population of nearly 60,000
- Local History Collection (maintained jointly with Menasha Public Library) includes 400+ photographs, oral histories, city directories, and plat maps from the 1800s to mid-1900s
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Neenah cardholders can borrow, stream, and learn for free through Wisconsin's statewide digital library and local resources:
📚 Services
- Local History Collection with Fox Cities photographs, oral histories, city directories, and plat maps (in partnership with Menasha Public Library)
- Public computers, printing, copying, scanning, and free Wi-Fi throughout the building
- Free parking lot on site; on-street parking also available nearby
- Meeting rooms for community programs and events
- Interlibrary loan and reference assistance
- Volunteer program and Friends of the Neenah Public Library support group
- Book-a-Librarian appointments for research, technology help, and reader's advisory
🎸 Programs
- Children's storytimes including Wild Child Adventure Storytime at Riverside Park (outdoor, all ages)
- Youth STEAM and hands-on learning programs
- Teen programs and activities
- Adult programs: Stitching Group, Monday Matinee film screenings, book discussions
- Summer reading for all ages
- Start Here, Neenah community welcome series
- Monthly author events and cultural programming
📍 Nearby Libraries in Northeast Wisconsin
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
When was the Neenah Public Library founded, and what is its connection to Andrew Carnegie?
The Neenah Public Library traces its roots to February 1882, when citizens organized a subscription library. It became a free public library by Common Council vote in 1884. In 1904, a Carnegie library opened, funded with $28,000 from Andrew Carnegie together with land donated along the Fox River and a matching gift from local philanthropist Theda Clark Peters. The Carnegie building served the community until the current 50,000-square-foot facility opened in June 2000 on the same Wisconsin Avenue site.
Is the Neenah Public Library open on weekends, and which evenings does it stay open late?
Yes — the library is open on both Saturday (10 a.m.–4 p.m.) and Sunday (noon–4 p.m.). Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday it stays open until 9 p.m., making those the best evenings for after-work or after-school visits. Friday hours are 9 a.m.–6 p.m. The library is closed on Monday.
What is the Neenah-Menasha Local History Collection?
The Local History Collection is a digital archive maintained jointly by the Neenah Public Library and the Menasha Public Library. It includes more than 400 photographs of the Neenah-Menasha area (mainly late 1800s to mid-1900s), oral histories recorded by a UW-Fox Valley professor in the 1970s, city directories, plat maps, and published local histories dating back to 1878. The collection is freely accessible online through the UW-Madison Libraries Digital Collections.
How large is the Neenah Public Library collection, and who can get a card?
The library holds nearly 190,000 items — books, audiobooks, films, magazines, and digital titles — and recorded more than 635,000 checkouts in 2024. Neenah Public Library cards are available to residents of Neenah and Winnebago County. Wisconsin's reciprocal borrowing agreements also allow cardholders from participating libraries to use Neenah's collections.
📜 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.
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