Hesston Public Library has proudly served the Hesston community since 1937, when it began as a project of the Hesston Women’s Civic Club. Volunteers staffed the library for its first decades.
In 1967, the library became a public, tax-supported library. In 1972, a bond issue was passed, and the city acquired the old Post Office building at 110 E. Smith St. to house the public library collection. The space was remodeled and expanded in 1981, then again expanded in 1990 to utilize the former KG & E building which adjoined the facility.
In 2010, the library moved to a new 10,000-square-foot facility at 300 N. Main St. The new building features a Community Room, a Hesston History Room, the Southern Star Fireside Reading Area, a self-serve coffee area, expanded children and young adult areas, and public computers, in addition to the array of library services available to the community.
In 2015, the Hesston Public Library was named the “Best Small Public Library in Kansas” by the Kansas Library Association, and in 2020 a Four Star Library in America by Library Journal.