History :
Lumberton Public Library began in 1922-24 when the Women's Club of Lumberton sponsored book showers which produced gift books and funds to purchase titles.
In the 1930's there was a Works Project Administration (W. P. A.) library housed on the second floor of the Lumberton Bank (now BancorpSouth). An open fireplace served the library as its source of heat. The employees were obliged to bring the wood upstairs each day. When this library was closed, a small library was opened in the Masonic Temple and was run by volunteers.
In 1958 there was a formal opening of the Lumberton Public Library in the City Hall (now Lumberton Museum) through the efforts of the local municipal board, Women's Club of Lumberton, other civic organizations, interested citizens, the Mississippi Library Commission and Pine Forest Regional Library System. The library schedule began with 9 hours of service per week which increased to 20 hours, and presently 45.5 hours are offered.
In 1974 the Mississippi Power Company presented to the city a deed to land across the street from the City Hall and designated it for a public library. With funds from the City of Lumberton, Lamar County matched funds with Mississippi Library Commission and built the present library which was formally opened in April, 1976. Secretary of State Heber Ladner, a Lumberton resident, was the speaker at the event.
In 1976 the library participated in Lumberton 's bicentennial celebration and a time capsule was buried on the library grounds to be opened on July 3, 2000. It has been opened since then and replace with two new time capsules to be opened on July 3, 2025 and July 3, 2050. In 1997 the Lumberton library became part of the newly-created Lamar County Library System.
In early January of 2007, Lumberton completed its expansion for a children's room through the efforts of the Lamar County Library System, the Mississippi Library Commission, the Lamar County Board of Supervisors, and many others. On January 12, 2007, a ribbon-cutting ceremony took place naming the expansion, the Martha Namie Children's Room.
