Mrs. Josie Smith Welch deeded the property to the City of Hearne in March of 1970 for use as a public library. Smith-Welch Memorial Library, named in honor of the Smith and Welch families, opened in 1974.

Our Library is automated and the card catalog is an on-line database. The bulk of our book funds are spent on current best-seller hardcover fiction, which is what the majority of our patrons demand. Our juvenile section is also kept up to date with new releases. Smith-Welch has a large selection of paperbacks, from Westerns to Romance, which mainly have been donated to us by patrons.

We have 17 public computer terminals as well at WIFI.