About the library
Chapel Hill Public Library is a one-branch municipal library serving the people of Chapel Hill and Orange County, North Carolina. A department of the Town of Chapel Hill, the library welcomes more than 1,200 visitors a day and is one of the busiest libraries in the state. Our 63,000-square-foot building sits in the heart of Pritchard Park and offers books, programs, digital resources, and welcoming spaces that reflect our mission of sparking curiosity, inspiring learning, and creating connections.
Library history
The library first opened in 1958 in the Hill House on West Franklin Street, with a goal of supplementing the university’s libraries by offering children’s books and popular titles not available on campus. In 1967, it moved to a dedicated building at 523 East Franklin Street, and in 1994, the library relocated to its current home in Pritchard Park. From 2011 to 2013, the library operated out of University Place Mall while the building underwent a major renovation and expansion. The newly modernized, 63,000-square-foot library reopened to the public in 2013.