The Valley Park Community Library was founded in 1940 when a group of concerned citizens decided a library would be beneficial to the town. The City donated the use of the upper floor of the City Hall Building located on Marshall Road. It began with a collection of 1,500 books donated by the Episcopal Church. Membership tickets were sold for 50 cents.
The library operated on donations made by the public and community organizations. This allowed them to purchase shelving and more books. The W.P.A. furnished two librarians, curtains and other miscellaneous furniture. The library officially opened on Saturday, December 14, 1940. "Despite inclement weather and the approaching Christmas season, a 'goodly' number of people visited the library and took out reader cards."
The library became tax supported in 1943 when the City levied a one-mill tax to finance the library. In 1956, the library was moved with the City Hall to the new location on Benton Street, where it remains today.
In 1996 an nine-member cooperative of independent libraries in St. Louis County formed the Municipal Library Consortium (MLC) and now share an automating system and catalog. A valid library card can be used at any member library. This opens up to the citizens of Valley Park a collection of over 500,000 volumes.
Library Hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 1:00pm - 6:00pm
Tuesday: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Thursday: 10:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday: 10:00am - 4:00pm
