In 1913, during the era of Andrew Carnegie's library grants, a city could request grant money to build a library and stock it with books, provided the city also supplied funds for books and the library's future. The Upland Public Library was 4,140 square feet and could accommodate 10,000 books. It had two floors, with high windows on the first floor, and both floors had large oak tables and chairs. By the end of 1913, the collection had grown to approximately 1,500 items. During the First World War, both floors were used for war work, and in the first part of 1918 the library was closed for 4 months because of a serious influenza breakout. By 1920, it had 1,500 patrons and a collection of over 4,500 items. In 1945, the collection numbered over 35,000, and the library continued to flourish in the Carnegie building until a new library was built in 1969.