Brown County Library, the first county-wide system in the state of Wisconsin, was created in 1968 when Kellogg Public Library in Green Bay and De Pere Public Library combined to give all county residents easier access to library materials and services.
In 1980, 1993, and 2023, Brown County Library was named Wisconsin Library of the Year, and in 1994, Library Journal and Gale Research Inc. recognized the library’s effective, diverse and efficient service to the community by naming the library National Library of the Year.
Today, Brown County Library, comprised of Central Library, eight branches and a Bookmobile, serves over 80% of the households in Brown County and circulates over 2.3 million materials annually. The library is your resource and your community, your history, and your future.
Our Mission
To be your place for information, entertainment, community, and culture.
Our Vision
To be an agent of opportunity that empowers people to be their best and to strengthen the region by celebrating the diversity of the human experience. We seek to be recognized as a community hub for literacy, learning, innovation, and cultural and economic vitality.
Our Values
By living our values, Brown County Library commits to:
Provide free, equitable access to curated resources and services.
Offer accessible spaces with welcoming, caring, expert service and staff.
Design and deliver early learning and literacy programs for our children and families.
Build human capital, and support lifelong learning and the pursuit of work and career goals.
Invest in technology to bridge digital and opportunity gaps in Brown County communities while supporting innovation, online learning, and creativity.
Celebrate ideas, culture, local history, diversity and inclusivity while partnering to build community.,
Brown County Library provides welcoming and safe spaces in which the diversity of the human experience is valued, respected, and celebrated. Our staff members provide exceptional customer service to all, regardless of age, race, gender identity, nation of origin, immigration status, sexual orientation, housing status, religion, income, educational background, physical ability, mental health, political views, physical appearance, or any other criteria that could be a source of discrimination or bias. All Brown County Library employees are required to adhere to these standards while representing the library.
A library program is an event, workshop, or class that is presented or promoted by the Brown County Library system in order to respond to needs and interests of the diverse population of Brown County. Programs serve as an alternative way to learn information, and they provide an opportunity for community members to connect and share knowledge and ideas. The library utilizes staff expertise, collections, digital resources, and facilities to deliver programming. The library also forms partnerships with a variety of organizations, agencies, businesses, performers, and other individuals to present programs.
Programs expand the library’s visibility in the community and offer staff opportunities to engage the public. Brown County Library supports its mission of advancing the community through the development and planning of programs that connect, enrich, and entertain. The library focuses on programming that:
- • Supports lifelong learning in an inclusive, respectful environment
- • Provides information, education, recreation, and technology opportunities
- • Enhances education for children and teens in various literacies
- • Supports or showcases the library’s services, resources, or collections
- • Cultivates community cohesion and reduces social isolation
- • Celebrates our history and fosters appreciation for our cultural diversity
- • Supports economic and workforce development
- • Attracts new and unique audiences to the library
- • Appeals to a broad range of cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and economic backgrounds
- • The library may set age or other guidelines for participation in a program, such as a children’s program, when the program is designed and best suited for a particular audience. An adult caregiver may be required to accompany a child under the age of 8.
- • Registration may be required when space or supplies are limited.
- • The library will work with individuals in need of special accommodations. A minimum of 24 hours advance notice is required.
- • Library-planned programs are free to all customers regardless of race, religion, familial belief, gender, or political affiliation. In rare cases, programs may require participants to bring their own materials/supplies to participate.
Through its programming and other services and resources, the library respects the diversity of human experience and human interests. In doing so, the library serves the entirety of Brown County and is a community place for learning and the open exchange of ideas. In the library’s provision of fair, inclusive, and equitable library services to the Brown County community, there may be library programs or resources that some individuals find objectionable. Presenting or hosting a program does not indicate an endorsement of its contents by Brown County Library. Concerns about library programming content should be referred to the Brown County Library executive director.
Coming soon!
