[2] It serves the city through a variety of collections that include books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and electronic resources.

The Palmerston North City Library is located in The Square in the restored and extended C M Ross building.

The design for the building was created by New Zealand architect Ian Athfield and was opened in 1996.

A library service in Palmerston North dates back to June 1876 with the provision of a reading room available to subscription members only.

The fledgling service suffered various setbacks including a fire in 1885 which destroyed the entire collection.