The construction of the library, which opened in 1902, was funded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, whose uncle lived in East Liverpool.

Carnegie pledged $50,000 for the building of the library on the stipulation that the city would provide land and $3,000 a year for maintenance.

The lobby is of ceramic mosaic, the wainscoting of Italian marble and the solid brass hardware.

[1] Charles Henry Owsley, a British architect who had immigrated to Youngstown, Ohio, designed the building.

The upper East Room of the library was used by the Red Cross for project work such as rolling bandages during World War I.

Kenneth Emerick was hired in 1950 to perform the cataloguing duties when the library holdings had reached 36,000 volumes.

The library took part in the Ohio Victory Book Campaign during World War II.

The administrative offices were moved to the basement replacing the area previously occupied by the historical displays.

In order to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act an elevator and handicap accessibility were installed.

Shelving was replaced and the nonfiction and Reference collections were moved to vacant rooms on the second floor.