Forrest City Public Library was established in 1921 when a group of local women, known as the Community Service Circle, gathered together a total of five hundred donated books. Unfortunately, this first library was forced to close after a couple of years due to a lack of funding. The library moved to its new home at 421 S. Washington Street in April of 1939 at a cost of $25,000.

Today, the library is open over forty hours per week. The original 1939 building is still in use, though there is now some 4,200 square feet of space.