The mission of the Monroe City Public Library is to provide all individuals in the community with carefully selected books and other materials to aid them in the pursuit of education, information, research, pleasure, and the creative use of leisure time.

 The building which housed the Monroe City Public Library was a Carnegie building that was erected in 1916.  That same year a tax of ten cents on the one hundred dollar valuation was voted for the library.  The library itself was established two years later in 1918.  The first librarian, Mrs. Fay D. Gentry, was hired in 1919 and remained until August 8, 1962.  During her tenure the tax rate was raised to fifteen cents in 1948 and to its present level of twenty cents in 1959, where it remains today.  Mrs. Gentry was followed by Mrs. Leona Noland who was librarian from June 1, 1963 to September of 1966.  She was succeeded by Mrs. Carroll Hood. With the construction of a new city hall, the library relocated to the third floor of this structure with the old library becoming Council Chambers.  At this time The Carnegie designation was lost.  Mrs. Hood resigned in 2018 and Karen Seward became the librarian in May of 2019.