About Us & Policies

About Us

Founded in 1937, the Salem Public Library is dedicated to providing exceptional services for all ages, backgrounds, and needs.

Within our 16,000-square-foot building, we offer thousands of items for circulation, including books, audiobooks, DVDs, and more. We have 12 public computers available for free use with Microsoft Office, high-speed internet access, and use of black-and-white and color printing (for a per-page fee). Our technology also includes the free use of a scanner; documents can be scanned to a USB, sent as an email, or printed (per-page fee).

Our library acts as a hub for downtown activity, with free wireless available throughout the building and grounds: select SalemWi-Fi from the list of available networks. We offer a large meeting room that can be reserved by nonprofit entities, and two individual study rooms that can be reserved for two hours per day.

With your Roanoke Valley Library card, you gain access to the resources of all of the libraries in the Roanoke Valley, including the City of Salem, Roanoke County, Roanoke City, and Botetourt County. The Salem Public Library also offers streaming videos (via IndieFlix), downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines; access to a wide variety of databases including car repair, learning a new language, and career/test preparation; family history and genealogy; and much more!

Library cards are freely available to anyone from the Commonwealth of Virginia, so come check out our programs and collections! Click here to learn more about getting a library card.

The staff at the Salem Public Library is dedicated to providing excellent customer service, readers advisory, and research assistance. Our friendly, knowledgeable, and professional staff are available to assist in finding books and information, using our databases and technology, and connecting you with resources both within the library and in the larger world to help you enhance your life.

To contact our library by phone, please call 540-375-3089. If you wish to send us a fax, or if you wish to make use of our fax service and have a fax sent to our machine for us to release to you ($.50/page), the number is 540-389-7054.

If you have questions about or suggestions for our library collection, programming, or other ideas, please contact our director, Ann Tripp, by phone at 540-375-3089, by Email, or by stopping by our front desk.