The Columbus Library Association formed in 1877 with the donation of books and two rooms above a storefront. Ten years later the growing collection moved to City Hall, but soon needed its own building. In 1910 the Columbus Women's Civic Club, whose main objective was to promote the educational welfare of the community, solicited the Carnegie Foundation for a grant to construct a library building. Additional funds were raised by the Library Committee of the Federated Women¿s Club.

The well-known Madison firm Claude and Starck designed an informal, unique Prairie School building, one of their most original library designs. The residential scale and domestic elements create a cottage-like appearance, a treatment rarely used for public libraries. The entrance porch is recessed with two projecting pavilions on either side. Each pavilion features battered buttresses and large tripartite windows with decorative flower boxes beneath. The interior consists of a typical library plan with an open reading room anchored by a central circulation desk. Exceptional details of the interior are the built-in oak benches on each side of the foyer, built-in oak shelves on the walls, and built-in cabinets in the lecture room.

The library was the primary facility for the Women's meetings. Occasionally they rented rooms to other community groups. The rent proceeds were divided between the club and the library.

The library is still in operation and is open during regular hours.