The Bovill Library opened in 1990 and was housed in Bovill’s City Hall for nine years. The opportunity to expand library space arose in 1997 when the historic St. Joseph’s Catholic Church was put on the market. The Bovill Library Historic Building Preservation Committee formed and began an aggressive fund raising campaign. The building was purchased with the assistance of grants from the Idaho Heritage Trust, support from community members and former parishioners, and major sponsorship from the descendants of Mabel and De Witt White. The facility opened for business in July 1999, after hundreds of hours of volunteer labor in renovations and upgrades. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.