Bellingham Public Library, Public library in Bellingham, US.

Bellingham Public Library is a four-branch system: the Central Library in the downtown Civic Center, the Fairhaven branch, a branch in Barkley Village, and one inside Bellis Fair Mall in the Cordata neighborhood. The Central Library opened on August 19, 1951, replacing a Carnegie building from 1908 that was later demolished; it was renovated in 1985 and 2020. The Fairhaven branch, built with $15,500 from Andrew Carnegie, opened on December 20, 1904, and is still in use.

Bellingham Bay Public Library opened on June 15, 1891, as a subscription library and became free in 1903; Fairhaven Library began as a subscription library in 1890. The two consolidated in 1903 when Fairhaven and Whatcom merged to form Bellingham. A Carnegie building opened in 1908 and served until the Central Library opened on August 19, 1951.

The library serves as a gathering place where residents connect through shared reading interests and community programs. Book clubs and discussion groups meet regularly here, creating spaces where people from different backgrounds can exchange ideas and perspectives.

The Central Library stands in the Civic Center of downtown Bellingham. The system also runs branches in Fairhaven, Barkley Village (under a condominium complex) and inside Bellis Fair Mall on the north side. Cardholders can also check out and return materials at Whatcom Community College Library, and a reciprocal agreement with the Whatcom County Library System extends borrowing further.

The library's special collections cover genealogy and local Northwest Washington history, and it circulates kits for reading groups. It also belongs to Whatcom Libraries Collaborate, so a card from any of six county library systems, including academic ones, can borrow from the others.