The museum was founded in October 1958 and officially opened to the public in May 1, 1959. Its name is Huaiyin library". November 1964 - March 1983, renamed as "Qingjiang city library" (1968 - 1974 period, once with the "Qingjiang Museum" and "Qingjiang Museum" with "Qingjiang city Mao Zedong propaganda Museum"). In March 1983, Qingjiang city hall was upgraded to "Huaiyin library" (prefectural level)". In February 2001, because the city name change, called "the city of Huaian library" and used so far.

Since the establishment of the library, the museum has always carried out the functions of social education, and has actively carried out various forms of extended services on the basis of doing a good job in the traditional position service. Through lectures, exhibitions and training, provide diversified and personalized services for the public, attracting more and more people into the library; through the establishment of a branch, the total construction of basic network, launched mobile services, the maximum to meet the people's reading needs, the breadth and depth of library services have been extended.

After half a century of development, the Huaian municipal library has a large collection of books, newspapers and periodicals, audio-visual materials, electronic books and other literature resources, the current total collection of more than 80 copies (including more than 1 volumes of books), building area of nearly 30000 square meters, in 2013 the Ministry of Culture Museum grade evaluation was named national level public library.

In May 18, 2017, the new library of Huaian was completed and opened to the public.

The new museum is located in the eco city canal, is part of the main bow shape to the "cultural ship" as the conception of Huaian city libraries, cultural centers, art galleries, planning exhibition hall four hall construction, style and cultural connotation of very distinctive canal. The design highlights the people-oriented, service first philosophy, the natural formation of processing, collection, borrowing and other functional areas, with wide, bright and transparent. The new building area of 30000 square meters, ranking the forefront of the provincial and municipal public libraries, the design volume of 2 million books, reading seats 1500, the average daily reception of 5000 readers. In the national cultural information resources sharing project of Huaian city government information center, the public support query point, Government Gazette, Huaian local subscription library, library, study room visually impaired readers and experts lecture hall, exhibition hall, auditorium, leisure books, is a financial study, reading, information exchange, cultural and leisure functions in the development of information technology and networking library, by configuring 24 hours self-service library, basically meet the readers borrowing needs by all-weather; the branch library system and the scope of interlibrary loan, to achieve a more convenient way to borrow.