The History of Columbia County Library is as long and varied as the rich heritage of the county it is named for.
The Sorosis Club of Magnolia had a dream of providing a place where young and old alike could explore the many worlds of books. In 1929 that dream was realized when the Magnolia City Library opened its’ doors for the first time with Miss Olga Couch as the librarian. Mrs. J.B. Brown was chairman of the committee that made a study of city libraries and was responsible for the opening of the library. That first library was located in the Municipal building of Magnolia, usually called City Hall. After thirteen years Magnolia City Library closed its’ doors and reopened as The Columbia County Library in the northwest room, upstairs in the Columbia County Courthouse. Miss Ruth Cross was the librarian for a short time and in November, 1942, Mrs. Jessie Hines became librarian. Six years later a one-mill library tax was passed in Columbia County as well as statewide. And in 1951 new librarian Florene Jordan, along with the Library Board of Trustees, began the process of forming a library region with the purpose of bringing library services to neighboring counties. The first county to join with Columbia was Lafayette County. Together they formed the Columbia-Lafayette Regional Library. In 1952 Bradley, Lewisville and Stamps Libraries opened. Taylor Library was opened in 1958 and Emerson opened the following year. Calhoun County joined in 1962 and Columbia-Lafayette-Ouachita-Calhoun Regional Library came into being in 1965 when Ouachita County joined the system. The name was later shortened to The CLOC Regional Library. Because of the loss of state aid in 2001 it was necessary to dissolve the region. The CLCO Regional Library once again became The Columbia County Library with one branch library located in Taylor.

In 1959 the library board and other citizens started a campaign to purchase the old Post Office building when it was replaced with a new building. The Library Board received the Deed to the property May 26, 1967. Plans were made to raise local money for remodeling the building into a modern library facility. W.R. Rice, president of First National Bank, headed the campaign, and locally raised funds were matched with LSCA funds distributed by the Arkansas Library Commission. The Post Office Building was converted to a modern library facility in 1968. Located at 220 East Main Street, the building is still home to the Library.

Mrs. Wilma Garrett McLeish, Curtis Ray Garrett, Welzie L. Garrett, and Mrs. Corrie Garrett Haynes gave a donation in memory of their father, and the Columbia County Library Board renamed the building “Asa C. Garrett Memorial Library.” During 1968 the old post office building was renovated and changed into a modern library facility for Columbia County Library and headquarters for CLOC Regional Library. Dedication and open house of the new library was April 20, 1969. LSCA funds were awarded the library in 1987 and were matched by Columbia County. The Warnock Family gave a donation and the “Nina and Bob Warnock Addition” was built. The addition includes a Childrens section with a film room on the first floor that doubles as a meeting place for area clubs and organizations. The second floor houses a Genealogy Department and The Arkansas Room, which contains books by Arkansas authors and books about Arkansas. This addition was dedicated April 30, 1989.

Business continued as usual for the next eight years, but 1997 brought the end of an era. The loss of long time Librarian, Florene Jordan Bradley necessitated a change in the leadership of the library. Since 1997 Columbia County Library has searched for a MLS degreed librarian to fill the position of director. Julie Metro served as director for 3 years and was instrumental in assisting Lafayette County in acquiring a new library building in Lewisville. Maybelle James followed and served two years. Sharon Irons served as Interim Director before and after Ms James' tenure. Dana Thornton served as Interim Director from August 1, 2005 until March 10, 2008 when the position of director was filled by Laura Cleveland MLIS, a native of El Dorado, AR.

A unique feature of The Columbia County Library is The Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped located upstairs in our new building. LBPH, which is the only branch of the Little Rock Library, has been in operation in Magnolia since 1972, and serves a sixteen county area. The books on tape and machines are furnished by the Library of Congress and these materials are mailed out at no cost to the patron.

With the receipt of a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Library was able to purchase four computers for public use in 1999. This generous gift ushered in the age of technology and catapulted our traditional library into the realm of the World Wide Web. The Library received a matching grant from the Gates Foundation in 2005 and 7 computers were purchased for public use. Six computers were installed at the Magnolia Branch and one was installed at the Taylor Branch. Another Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grant was received in 2006 and six more computers were purchased for the Magnolia Branch and one additional computer for the Taylor Branch.

With the June 2004 automation of the library system, Columbia County Library joined the digital generation. July 7, 2006 The Taylor Branch Library was brought online. We are now able to serve our patrons countywide with faster checkouts and online services through our website.

The spring of 2007 began a new chapter in the history of Columbia County Library. Columbia County Quorum Court approved the purchase of property located at 2057 North Jackson Street. This 25,614 square foot building has been converted to a multi-faceted facility capable of serving the citizens of Columbia County for years to come. April 20, 2009, exactly forty years to the date that the library located at 220 East Main St was dedicated, Columbia County Library opened the doors of our new library. We now provide wireless Internet throughout the building and we have increased our public computers to twenty. In the midst of this world wide information age, we strive to bring the latest technology to our patrons. Whether it is the printed word, recorded media, visual entertainment or a walk down the information highway via library public computers.