Mission:

The mission of the Porterville Public Library is to be a visible learning center for our community by providing materials and services to area residents of all ages for personal enrichment, the power of information and the joy of reading.

About Us:

Located below the foothills of the Sequoia National Forest, Porterville Public Library has a main library and a new branch library. The Porterville Public Library is rich with various materials and services for the people of Porterville and the surrounding areas.

The Porterville Public Library is a member of the San Joaquin Valley Library System.

History:

Porterville incorporated in 1902. The following year the Inter Se Society established a library, a long time goal of the club. At first little more than a reading room, it was located in upstairs office space, initially in the Taylor block and later over the Bank of America. Land for a library building was purchased for $6,000 raised through property tax after the voters failed to pass a bond issue. Then a local minister wrote a letter of application to Carnegie for $10,000. Lengthy negotiations were required, but the amount was granted in February 1907. The building was designed by O.H. Huber in the Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style. Constructed in 1908, it served until 1947 when it was condemned as unsafe and demolished. The books were removed to the basement of City Hall and Porterville was again without a library until a new one was constructed in 1953.