In 1896, the Women's Board of Trade and Library Association set up a reading room near the Plaza and on January 13, 1908, it opened the Santa Fe Public Library at 120 Washington Avenue. When the city needed a more spacious main library, the site chosen was the Berardinelli Building, a former city hall designed by John Gaw Meem in 1936. On January 17, 1987, a beautiful new facility at 145 Washington Avenue was opened to the public.
The Santa Fe Public Library has a collection of approximately 255429 volumes.