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Falkirk Public Library
Falkirk Library is a public library building in Falkirk, Scotland, administered by Falkirk Community Trust.

= Library History = In March 1886 Robert Dollar, the wealthy Scots-American industrialist born in Bainsford, Falkirk, wrote to the Falkirk YMCA offering them £5,000 fund a “free library without any charges and open to all denominations” for the local community. In October of 1887 the local YMCA asked the public for donations to help further fund the first library in the area. After a successful fundraising the Dollar Free Library opened in Falkirk in June of 1888. It issued over 20,000 books and served more 1,000 patrons in the first nine months.

Falkirk Town Council took over the library in 1896 under the Public Libraries (Scotland) Act and appointed the first librarian, a Mr George Chapman. Mr Dollar had already agreed that in the event of the burgh adopting the Free Libraries Act that his library could be handed over to the town and the use of the premises to be granted free of charge.

In 1897 philanthropist and businessman Andrew Carnegie pledged £2,500 to build a new library in the town, asking for the public to match his donation to fund the building of the a new premises. The funds were raised by public subscription. The Town Council awarded the design contract to architects McArthy and Watson of Edinburgh. Building work was completed in 1902 when Carnegie visited to officially open the building itself. It would open as a functioning library to the general public in 1904.

Local born author Alan Bissett credits the library for giving him his passion for writing.

Services
Falkirk public library offers book lending, computer access and courses, a reference library as well as a local and family history collection. The local history collection contains the local newspaper the Falkirk Herald which was founded in 1845. There are family history resources available such as local census returns, IGI, church records and monumental and burial inscriptions.

Falkirk Library also have their own podcast and blog.