St. Albans Public Library dates back to 1952, when a group of volunteers came together to start building an organization that would provide the community with its own publicly-supported library. Demand for the library grew so much in its first decade that the original building was soon deemed insufficient. Through local fundraising and grants, a new building was erected in 1963 and placed under the authority of the Kanawha County Public Library system. In 1972, more funds were raised to add a second floor to the building. Today, a group of dedicated volunteers, board members, and paid staff help to maintain the library and provide services. The library continues to offer a variety of books, as well as services for residents that include everything from help with employment to tax preparation. There is also a children's area and special programs for youth, a computer lab, and multimedia equipment for rent.
The St. Albans Public Library is part of the Kanawha County Public Library (KCPL) system. KCPL is the largest public library group in the state of West Virginia. There are over 600,000 items available in KCPL, and all of those items are completely free to the public. The Charleston Public Library opened its doors on June 3, 1909 and the KCPL has grown since then. In 1963, the St. Albans Public Library was created. Various volunteers and community members chose to make their library that was founded in 1952 part of the KCPL system. With private donations and grant funding, the St. Albans Public Library was erected. In 1971, the second floor of the library was built. The building itself is an impressive stable of the community of St. Albans. With a state of the art computer lab, various books and newspapers, a children's floor with regularly scheduled events, and other multimedia, the library offers numerous resources to the residents of St. Albans.