The previous library building on Fourth Street was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Funding for the project came from the Friends of the Burlington Public Library Foundation, private contributions raised by a capital campaign, the city of Burlington, a Vision Iowa Grant, and Des Moines County.

The library won the Main Street Iowa Award for the Best Community Initiated Development Project in 2007.

The library is heated and cooled by a geothermal system that is fed by 132 wells 267 feet (81 m) under the parking lot.

[3] The old library building became the home of the Des Moines County Historical Society museum.