It was established in April 1966 by action of the Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners and the Board of School District 26J, Deer Trail, to meet the needs of Arapahoe County residents in the unincorporated areas and the smaller towns and communities that did not receive library service.

At that time, only the cities of Littleton, Englewood and Aurora provided library service to their residents.

It is legally a component unit of the Library District and holds an official 501c3 status, which allows for tax deductible contributions.

Patrons may participate in book clubs or hear recorded stories over the telephone.

The District subscribes to many research databases with access to hundreds of full-text magazine articles, including many from EBSCO Information Services.