The Coronation Free Library opened in April 1905; it was built to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VII on August 9th 1902. The initiative came from a town meeting on April 11th 1902. The cost of the land and building was paid for by public subscription, assisted by the generosity of the well known philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie, who contributed £3,800. A plaque marking the opening of the library and a portrait of Executive Committee chairman Sir Thomas Parry can be seen in the library.
The children’s library was opened in 1933 and the Welsh reference library in 1949, having received a donation from the profits of the 1947 National Eisteddfod held in the town. The wrought iron gates that stand at the main entrance to Eirias Park were also a gift to the town following the same Eisteddfod.
