Ninety-six years ago, in 1929, Mathews became one of the first communities in the Commonwealth to establish a public library. Despite the devastating impact of a hurricane in 1933 that destroyed the entire library collection, the library reopened in 1935 with 3,000 books. It was dedicated in 1937 as a memorial to the community's young men who had served their country during World War I.

In the ensuing years, the library has made significant strides in physical expansion and its role as a center of learning within the community. In 1983, the Mathews Memorial Library relocated to the building formerly occupied by the Farmers and Fishermens Bank on Main Street.

With its current collection of over 56,000 items, the library aims to meet the informational, cultural, and recreational needs of the citizens of Mathews County. A part of the library’s collections is the Mathews Archives, a collaboration with the Mathews County Historical Society. The archives, with more than 10,000 items, preserves and provides access to a growing collection of materials related to Mathews County’s history and people. In recognition of its outstanding service to the community, the library was selected by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in 2005 as the best rural library in the United States.