The Florence Public Library was founded in 1922 by a group of hardworking women who represented the clubs of the community. It was located in the east room of the First National Bank building. The library is now located in the west room of the same building. Anna Keech was the first librarian.

        In 1941 the library moved to the Glad­stone Hotel building at 321 South Main. The big flood of 1951 destroyed almost all of the library’s books and newspapers. A nationwide donation of books and reference materials helped re­build the library’s collection.

        In 1962 the library moved again, this time back to the building at the corner of Fourth and Main. This is its present location.

        In 1969 the library joined the North Central Kansas Library System. Through the NCKL, the library receives a rotating selection of books from the traveling book van.

        The year 2002 marks the library’s 80th year of continuous service to the Florence com­munity. The library has more than 8,000 books, 17 periodicals, three newspapers and a circu­lation of almost 6,300 books. A long-standing library tradition, the summer reading program, also continues.