History

In the fall of 1902 a group of men, women and children met together in support of a free public library for the City of Wayne. Later that year the Wayne Public Library opened in a room of the County Courthouse. For the first years the library operated through the donations and generosity of the women's clubs members and the citizens of Wayne.

In 1910 the City Council assumed responsibility for the library and appointed the first library board. The following year the philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was asked to fund a library building for the town. He agreed, and the Wayne Public Library opened on Main Street in 1913.

Through times of economic difficulties and times of prosperity, the library has responded to the needs of the community. In 1950 the original building was expanded to meet the demand for more services. New technologies were embraced by the library staff and patrons until once again space became a problem. In the early 1990s a campaign began for a new facility to serve the public into the next century, and the current library opened in July 1997.