Prior to 1943, residents of Sparta relied on a library organized and run by the Monday Club. The Sparta Public Library was officially formed in September 1943. Mrs. Russell Morrow was hired as the first librarian in October 1943. She was paid a salary of $55 per month. In November 1943 the Sparta School Board donated books from the defunct WPA library, and in February of 1944, books owned by the Monday Club were donated to the city for the first Sparta Public Library.

First located in two rooms of the city building on South Market Street, the library later added two more rooms to house its expanding collection. The library remained in the city building until 1960 when it moved to a location on West Main Street, the former home of Board Member Anna W. Brown. In 1996 the library took up new quarters in a newly renovated building at 211 West Broadway.