The Atlanta Public Library was organized as an entity of city government in March 1873. Initially, library books were housed in the storefront of a local druggist, Benjamin Bean. By 1875, the collection had grown to such a size that it was moved to the offices of the local newspaper, the Atlanta Argus. In 1881, the collection was moved again to a larger space in City Hall. It took another 17 years before the citizens of Atlanta were able to construct a permanent Library building, a building that is still in use today.

In 1907, funded by generous donations from citizens, construction on the new Library building began. It was built on land donated by Seward Fields, a native Atlantan and avid supporter of its culture and education. The Library Board chose an octagonal design presented by Paul Moratz of Bloomington and Joseph Reichel of El Paso was contracted to build the structure. Building, furniture, fixtures, and grading brought the final cost of the structure to around $8,000. The new building was dedicated on March 28, 1908.

Over the past 100 years, the Library Board has upheld the original vision of Atlanta’s Library should serve its citizens. In 1973, the Library helped begin a local history museum to help preserve the story of Atlanta. A few years later, an elevator and handicap restroom were installed in the Library.

Today the Atlanta Library continues this tradition of serving its patrons. In 2013, the entire building was renovated, including the addition of a Children’s Library in the lower level. As the use and purpose of libraries in the world changes, the Atlanta Library will always endeavor to better serve it patrons in creative and imaginative ways.

Today the Atlanta Public Library provides a variety of services. Besides housing a collection of over 10,000 books, patrons also have access to free wi-fi, computers and laptops, e-books, audio-books and a growing DVD collection.