Chartered in 1894, the NRPL is a school-district library with its own operating budget and a board of trustees with seven elected members.

The current main library, constructed in the center of the downtown business area as part of a major neighborhood revitalization project, opened to the public on September 19, 1979.

The main section of the building (60% of the total structure) was refurbished from a former parking garage, with the resulting low ceiling heights offset with the creation of a wide, central skylit area.

[1] Norman Rockwell's painting The Land of Enchantment hangs in the children's reading area of the main library branch.

[3] The Huguenot Children's Library is located in the former Mahlstedt residence, adjacent to the "Twin Lakes" on the campus of New Rochelle High School.

This vehicle was replaced by a new air-conditioned model in 1970, but mounting repair costs and staff cutbacks necessitated retiring the Bookmobile from service in 1980.