The first Gallatin County Trustees appointed in 1976 sought state assistance to develop a county library. In 1978 the first library opened in a remodeled Laundromat on West Pearl Street.

In 1981 the county passed a library tax and the present facility became a reality when a construction grant was awarded in 1984. Modeled after Thomas Jefferson’s home in Virginia, Monticello, the library has become a county landmark.

In 2000 the library added a Children’s wing. The library also offers an Adult section, a Young Adult section and a Reading Room for reading, studying and fresh hot coffee.