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Louisville Free Public Library
A major community hub in Louisville, this public library system has been serving readers for more than a century and is known for pairing traditional library service with ambitious public programming. Its story includes early Carnegie branches, groundbreaking work in African American library training, and even a pioneering role in public radio.
1 Audiobook
Colored Branches of the Louisville Free Public Library
by Louisville Free Public Library
About the author
The Louisville Free Public Library is the public library system for Louisville, Kentucky, and one of the state's biggest library networks. It was created in 1902, merged with the Polytechnic Society of Kentucky in 1904, and opened its early public services from that society's collection before its Main Library began serving patrons in the first decade of the 1900s.
Its history includes several notable firsts. The system's Western Colored Branch is described as the first Carnegie library building in the United States constructed specifically for African Americans, and librarian Thomas Fountain Blue helped lead both the Western and Eastern Colored branches while creating the first library training program for African Americans in the country.
The library has continued to evolve well beyond books alone. In 1950 it established WFPL as an educational radio station, followed by WFPK in 1954, making it the first library in the nation to put its own FM radio station on the air. Today, Louisville Free Public Library remains a central civic institution with branches across the city, digital collections, public classes, and community programs.