The creation of the Clinton Public Library came from the efforts of women in the Clinton Literary Club, which was founded in the six-year-old town of Clinton in 1909.  In 1913 city attorney Charles T. Randolph donated the use of his personal office, two rooms in city hall, to the club for use.  In these rooms, a few furnishings and a small collection of donated books became the nucleus of what would become the Clinton Public Library.  In 1915 the city allowed the club to use another room in city hall as a reading room, beginning a tradition of support for the library that continues to this day.

            In 1920 members of the literary club led a campaign to circulate the petition required by law to establish a permanent library, and the first library board was appointed.  In 1922 the library officially opened on the second floor of city hall.  For several years the library acquired its books either through donation or use of a pay-shelf by which customers would pay a fee of five cents to read new books.  Once the books were paid for, they were moved to the free circulation shelf.  The library held nearly 25,000 volumes by the early 1950s. 

The sixties were busy years for the Clinton Public Library.  Through the passing of city bonds, the library was able to move to a new building at its current location in 1961.  It became part of the Western Plains Library System in February, 1966.

In recent years, the library has been no less busy.  In 1994 the building was remodeled to significantly increase the square footage of the library.  At the same time a beautiful dome and impressive skylights were added.  In addition to books, the library has begun carrying audio books on cassette and CD, as well as movies in VHS and DVD format.  Currently the Clinton Public Library holds approximately 55,000 items in its collection, 55 magazine subscriptions, and fourteen open-access internet computers.

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