The library was founded in 1875 alongside Hebrew Union College by the school's founder, Isaac Mayer Wise.

It was known as the Hebrew Union College Library until 1961, when it was renamed in honor of Board of Governors member David Klau.

[1][2] The library began as a collection of textbooks locked in a chest and managed by the janitor of the first Hebrew Union College building in downtown Cincinnati.

"[4] In 1878, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations voted to fund book acquisition for the library, and the collection began to grow.

In 1983, the Apple II+ computer enabled librarians to catalogue bilingually, in Hebrew and English, becoming the first library in the United States to do so.

The current building has four floors of open stacks, with Reference, Reserves, Circulation, and Technical Services on the main level.

As a Jewish research library, the collection caters to Biblical and Judaic studies, as well as Yiddish and Modern Hebrew literature.

[12] The library holds the musical and liturgical collection of 19th century European scholar and cantor Eduard Birnbaum.

[14] It also contains a full liturgical year of handwritten music from his mid-nineteenth century European Ashkenazi Jewish community.