The Central Library is the largest of the 28 libraries in the Sacramento Public Library System. It is located downtown near parking and public transportation. The original 1917 Carnegie building was greatly expanded in 1992 and includes kids’ and teens’ spaces, a Friends of the Library sale area, and rentable meeting rooms.

The Central Library has an extensive collection of materials on Sacramento history, newspaper archives, genealogy (courtesy of the Genealogical Society of Sacramento), and materials for students and job seekers. It also houses the I Street Press, for writers who want to self-publish their work.

The Central Library is also home to the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria.