About the Library

About the Library

The Stephenville Public Library is located at 174 N. Columbia Street. The library provides many services to residents in and around Stephenville, Texas. The library holds 28,000+ materials including books, large print books, books on CDs, and magazines. In addition, the library has 8,000+ DVDs available for check-out. Our friendly and professional staff is eager to serve you. 

Program Description

The Stephenville Public Library’s main responsibilities are to assemble, preserve, and organize collections of books and other materials for public use, organize and maintain a card catalog, provide a place for the use of these materials and serve as a center for reliable information. It offers an array of services, including an online card catalog, reference assistance, Overdrive access, interlibrary loans, free Wi-Fi, and programming for adults, young adults, and children.

Performance Objectives

• Provide open and equal access to information.
• Develop ongoing communication and partnerships with other non-profit organizations in the community.
• Create opportunities for life-long learning.
• Encourage a love of reading.
• Provide excellent customer service to users of the library.
• Provide a safe, clean, and healthful environment for employees and citizens.
• Prolong the useful life of major building components of the Municipal Library.

Our History

The Stephenville Public Library was started in 1903 by the Twentieth Century Club, a local women’s organization. Club volunteers ran the library from their homes and various locations in the City. In 1919, the Twentieth Century Club raised enough money to buy a lot and a library was constructed at the corner of Green and Erath Streets in 1924. This location was the site of the log cabin Major Erath lived in while laying out the City of Stephenville.

In 1968 the United States Government offered the Post Office building, built in 1935, for sale to the city for $1.00, if the City would use it for educational purposes for thirty years. The City accepted the building and remodeled it in library fashion. The City agreed with the Twentieth Century Club to take over the books and other items. In 1969, the Twentieth Century Club and volunteers moved the books and materials from Green Street to the new library. On September 1, 1998, after thirty years of use as an educational building, the City and library were presented with the deed to the building from the United States Government.