Located in Lake Wales, Florida, the Lake Wales Public Library has served our community since 1919. The original community library was a project of the Lake Wales Woman's Club. The organization accepted donations of books and magazines and set aside book shelves in their clubhouse for the Woman's Club Library. After outgrowing the few shelves in the clubhouse, the library moved to the Dixie Walesbilt Hotel in downtown Lake Wales, and then to a room in the Lake Wales City Hall.

In 1957 a group of citizens formed The Lake Wales Library Association / Friends of the Library to raise capital to build a public library and encouraged the City of Lake Wales to create a new city department --Library Services. Through diligent efforts, the first public library building was erected on Cypress Gardens Lane, on the shores of Crystal Lake in 1960. It was expanded in 1991.

The library now houses over 86,000 books, audiovisuals, kits, archives, periodicals, maps, clippings and software. The Lake Wales Public Library has come a long way from its proud beginning.