Library History

The Warren Library Association was founded in 1873 as a free public library under the Laws of Pennsylvania and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1998. Through the generous contribution of Thomas Struthers in 1882, the library was able to locate in the Struthers Library Theatre building, where it provided service to the citizens of Warren for 33 years. In 1915 the library moved to its present location at 205 Market Street.

In 1962, Warren was designated as the district library center for 17 public libraries in five counties in northwestern PA and has been appointed by the County Commissioners as the county library for Warren County. In 1985 the library added the newer wing on the south side of the building. A 12 person Board of Directors appointed by the County Commissioners, the City of Warren and representatives elected from the Association governs the Warren Library Association.

With a staff of talented individuals, we stand ready to help you find the information you need, when you need it.

What We Offer

As a patron of the Warren Library Association, you have access to over 165,000 books, videos and cd's on the premises, and millions more through Interlibrary Loan. We also offer e-books. The library subscribes to more than 200 magazines and newspapers, and our participation in the PA POWER Library program offers you full text electronic access to over 4,000 more. We have a collection of historic photographs and newspapers of Warren County in our Reference Department, which is the envy of many a college library.

The library has a computerized public access catalog on the world wide web which you can access from your home or office using a standard web browser. We also offer high-speed, high bandwidth public Internet access on site.

The library sponsors programs for all ages, has satellite teleconferencing and offers public meeting room space to a wide variety of groups and organizations.

We have an active and enthusiastic Friends Group who support the library in fund raising and volunteer efforts.