A 1967 centennial project to build a museum led to the White Rock Local Council of Women starting a collection of historical objects.In 1976, the City established the White Rock Museum & Archives in the ticket office of the former Burlington Northern Railway Station. The holdings grew steadily and after the acquisition of a private collection from Irene Maccaud-Nelson, in 1979, the City leased two floors of the former White Rock Post Office for the Museum and Archives. In 1984, they expanded to three floors.The White Rock Museum & Archives Society was formed in 1983. The City supported the Museum with a small annual grant. In 1988, when the Post Office was sold by the federal government, the collection was placed in storage until a new facility could be found.
The idea of bringing the library to the rural population in BC began with a 1927 survey conducted by the Provincial Public Library Commission. The survey's key finding was that large administrative library districts based on cooperation and resource sharing between municipalities and school districts should be created to serve rural communities who could not afford to provide library service on their own.