On December 23, 1929, the Beverly Hills City Council passed an ordinance creating a Municipal Public Library.

The city rented a small space in the E. J. Krause Building, located at 401 North Canon Drive.

With a collection of 10,288 volumes, 5,152 registered borrowers, and an annual circulation of 100,797, the library outgrew its limited shelving space and needed to move.

Another change occurred in 1945 when the City Council voted to eliminate the Library Board.

As part of the Beverly Hills Centennial Arts of Palm Installation, an artpiece by Mike Stilkey is displayed inside the library.