In 1981 it was deemed "significant both for its role in the intellectual and cultural development of Aitkin and as a well-preserved example of the Minnesota small-town library structures financed by Andrew Carnegie, noted turn-of-the-century steel magnate.

The library collection was temporarily housed in the village council chamber until the present structure's construction in 1911 with a $6,500 grant from the Carnegie Foundation.

In 1995 the building was purchased for $1 by area citizens wanting a home for the preservation and exhibition of the work of Aitkin County artist, Francis Lee Jaques.

In keeping with the original Carnegie Library tradition, the gift shop also has an extensive book collection.

This article about a property in Minnesota on the National Register of Historic Places is a stub.