The library is said to have started in two iron huts in 1948 that lacked both electricity and seating.

It was built on Mooki Street by people from the local Vocational Training Centre and impressively it was larger than other public library then available in the main city of Johannesburg.

[3] The Library's collection was given a substantial gift in 1963 when Madie Hall Xuma, the American born widow of Dr. A.B.Xuma who had been a President of the African National Congress during the 1940s, gave his book collection to the library.

It attracts students to study with its "fairly full" shelves and a good reference section that includes textbooks.

Upstairs there is a media centre and an area reserved for children's books.