HOURS: Pack Memorial Library is open Tuesdays 10a – 8p, Wednesdays through Fridays from 10a – 6p, and Saturdays from 10a – 5p.
The library is closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Imagination … one of the many things available at the public library. Whether we’re reading a work of fiction, or accessing information and knowledge, libraries open up our minds, moving us toward creativity and, yes, even a better understanding of nature and humanity. Books open up the world.
Free or public libraries are essential and actually help create a community that is educated and literate. Libraries provide a source for cultural and intellectual energy, providing a place to meet, a program to attend, a book to read.
The first library in Asheville was established in 1879 as a subscription library on Pack Square. 40 years later in 1919, it officially became the Pack Memorial Public Library when it opened its doors to Buncombe County residents as a free library.
Pack Library in the Early Days
Looking back to those early days, the concept of the public library was so popular that within a few decades the first Pack Memorial Library had outgrown itself. The city’s proposed Civic Center project in the 1970s provided the perfect opportunity to build a new library. The effort was led by architect Anthony Lord, chairman of the library board, and opened in 1978 at its current location in downtown Asheville.
Anchored as it is in downtown Asheville at 67 Haywood Street, the Pack Memorial Library is a community center that continues to thrive while changing with the times. Pack Library is the main branch in the Buncombe County Public Library System. The first Pack Library was named for George Willis Pack and was located on Pack Square. The current 56,000-square-foot facility on Haywood was built in 1978 and renovated in 2012.
It has over 150,000 items available for perusal and free check out including books, periodicals, CDs, DVDs, and research materials. It also features internet access, free Wi-Fi, word processing, and photocopy services. Pack Memorial is also home to the Bookends Used Book Store, Buncombe County Special Collections (previously the North Carolina Room), Lord Auditorium, and the Thomas Wolfe Collection.
Friends of Pack Library 