In 1928, the Midlothian Women’s Club and the Lion’s Club decided that the fast-growing village of Midlothian needed a library. The Lions furnished the small back room of their club-house and the Women’s Club donated books from their personal collections, and coordinated a special project of donating one new book each month. The first librarians were members of the club, Ruth C. Andrews and Mrs. Harold Tebow. At one time or another, practically every resident of the village donated at least one book to the library, and the number of volumes continued to grow.

The Midlothian Community Library was officially dedicated in November, 1931. In 1936, when the library had outgrown its original location, the library moved into the first Midlothian School building, which was a frame building located on the west side of Springfield Avenue. A WPA grant was received in 1936 through the efforts of R.C. Andrews and the American Legion. When the WPA funding ended, the library was kept open by various methods such as tag days and contributions until it was voted upon to be supported by taxation.

In 1943 the village residents voted two mills tax proposition to support library service. Six trustees were selected to serve on the library board. A deed for the property was secured by the group who were responsible for the first Midlothian School Building. In 1952, the school building, now the library, was moved to its present location on the east side of the street. It was remodeled in 1958, and again in 1971.

Once again, the community’s demand for service caused the library to outgrow its building, and the library board began to think about expansion. In November, 1989, the residents of Midlothian passed a building referendum providing $1.7 million for a new building, to be built on property at 147th Street and Kenton Avenue, and Frye Gillan Molinaro Architects Ltd. were selected to design it. That building was opened in 1991. The former library building is now the home of the Midlothian Historical Society.

During the early 2000's, when it became apparent that the library building needed updating to meet the evolving needs of the community, the library board contracted with a team of architects who designed a total renovation of the library's interior. This project was completed-on time and under budget-in March, 2012, and included moving the Children's area to the front of the building, increasing the number of public Internet stations, creating a new, more efficient Main Desk area, and adding a space for teens as well as a small vending café. Additional lighting and a new color scheme highlighted the fresh new look, which was met with rave reviews from the public.

The Midlothian Public Library has evolved from a simple one-room facility to a modern 14,914-sq. ft. building; from providing donated books to making the world available through technology. It is the result of the dream of a small group of dedicated people who believed that library service was vital to the quality of life in Midlothian.