The Kutztown Community Library traces its beginning to a bequest in 1941 from Louisa M. Gonser who stipulated that her home on Main Street be used for the establishment of a free public library and a YMCA. The library did not become a reality until 1949 when the Business & Professional Women's Club requested permission to establish a reading library for children on the first floor.
By 1958 the library had outgrown its quarters and was moved to the old town hall on Whiteoak Street where it was housed until the new borough quarters were completed in 1989. It was then moved to its recent location on the lower level of the Municipal Building.
The current building at 70 Bieber Alley, behind the Sovereign Bank property on Constitution Boulevard, has a varied history. The central structure was an 18th century barn. A back portion was used as a slaughterhouse in the early part of the century. Most recently the property was a plumber's office and workplace. The building was purchased by the library board in 1997 from John Printz. The renovations took less than three months. The library reopened as the Louisa Gonser Community Library on July 2, 1998. In 2011 the library was renamed the Kutztown Community Library. The library's building continues to be named in honor of Louisa Gonser.