TODAY

The Carnegie Building houses our archival materials and the History Center Museum.

The Livermore Heritage Guild has shared building with Livermore Art Association Gallery since 1974

Thurs, Fri, Sat 11:30am-4pm
First two Sun 10am-2pm

A docent can assist you with access to information in the archives.

Click image to read Help Wanted flyer:

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LONG AGO

The site originally hosted butcher Peter McKeany’s home, slaughterhouse, and corrals.

The City built the library through a $10,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie, matching contributions, and taxes. It opened in May 1911.

It remained the City Library until 1966 when a new facility (demolished in 2018) was constructed near the Civic Center on South Livermore Street.

Hill Rolling at the Carnegie Library

A rite of passage for Livermore children

Rolling down the sloped lawns with yelps of glee at the Carnegie Library has been irresistible to children from the earliest days. How many of us who grew up here can say we did not at least once roll down these slopes?

During the building’s life as a library, hill rolling was forbidden. The librarians came out with fingers wagging and chased away any noisy hill rollers. Since the population was much smaller, the librarians knew the names of most local children AND their parents, so the threat of misdeeds getting back to one’s parents was very real.

One local (who shall remain nameless) tells how he and his brothers and sisters grew up just down the street and often tried to play in the park. The librarians came out and yelled at them for playing and rolling. So, the children would sneak over after hours and roll down the hill, giggling and laughing that they got away with such forbidden activity!

The librarians no longer rule at the park to deny children the noisy pleasures of rolling down the hill, but hill rolling remains a popular activity, especially during the weekly farmer’s market.