Our History

The community of Auburn’s quest to establish a library began with the Odd Fellows library in the late 1860s. In 1888, "The Little Gem Cook Book" compiled by the Ladies Library Association (aka Endeavor Club) brought the public library to reality with the help of the Crescent Club, an athletic club, which also contributed books. In 1906, the Auburn City Trustees established a free library and Library Board of Trustees. By December 1906, a library opened in a rented ($12 a month) two-room facility on Central Square with 725 volumes and a dozen magazines. Even after coming under city auspices in 1906, the library occupied a succession of locations.

In 1907, Andrew Carnegie approved a $10,000 grant for Auburn to build a library with the condition the city furnish the property and provide annual maintenance. Property owners paid a 20 cents tax per $100 of assessed valuation to meet this requirement.

Auburn paid $400 to state Senator William B. Lardner for the site on Almond Street with the provisions that a concrete sidewalk be provided and the street widened to 25 feet from curb to curb so that "teams (of horses) could travel easily at all times." Architect Allen D. Fellows designed the Greek revival style building, the most common look for Carnegie libraries. The library was formally dedicated in May of 1909.

The California Legislature passed the County Free Library Law in 1909, which allowed counties to establish free public libraries, and it ushered in a new era of library service in Placer County. In 1937, the Placer County Board of Supervisors approved the establishment of a county library system.

The new county library was headquartered in the basement of Auburn Carnegie Library. The system grew and, by 1949, required a larger space. In 1958, county library headquarters moved to the Shepard Square Building on High Street in Auburn.

In 1967, the Auburn City Public Library and the Placer County Library consolidated to become the Auburn-Placer County Library which continues to operate today. The Auburn Carnegie Library ceased its service as a library in 1968 and sat unused until 1983.

In 1983, the Arts Council of Placer County (ACPC) moved into the building and established the Auburn Arts Center housing performing arts, visual arts and administrative. ACPC ended its lease with the City of Auburn in 1997 due structural improvement needs. From 1998-2001, through a grant from the Placer Community Foundation, the City renovated the Auburn Carnegie Library to be a workspace for resident artists under the Old Library Art Studio program. In addition, the building also housed the Placer County Historical Society. The OLAS program left the building at the end of 2017. The building sat unused again.

In 2021, a group of individuals established AlmostFreeToAll, Inc. (AFTA), a non-profit organization to revitalize the Auburn Carnegie Library into a niche community events center supporting arts, culture, and community. AFTA entered a lease with the City of Auburn and then began improvements for accessibility and restoration. Initial funding came through an allocation of American Rescue Plan funds from the City, grants from several organizations including the Placer Community Foundation, contributions and volunteer hours from Rotary Club of Auburn, and donations from the community.

The re-envisioned Carnegie Library became Branches at the Carnegie and officially opened to public use in January 2025. Today, it provides space for art classes, training, yoga and meditation classes, summits, Auburn’s Porchfest, Placer Artists Tour, family celebrations, and more.