The Zamboanga City Library came into being several years ago it was initiated by one family who migrated here in Zamboanga City for few years. Upon the return of the said family to their mother land, they decided to donate or turn-over their book possessions to the city. The full idea of building a library was not yet conceptualized then, thus, an information center was initially built. This information center had just a limited numbers of books which catered limited number of the population. From its humble beginnings, the institution had acquired book donations thus, acquiring additional holdings. This accumulation of more collections has enabled the institution to progress and adhere to the needs of a much bigger population. The increase in the collection of books demands a bigger area and a much more systematized organization of book collections. This has paved the way for building a City Library.

Currently, the Zamboanga City Library is located at RT. Lim Boulevard Zamboanga City fronting Zamboanga City High School West. The library is composed of different sections and these are Circulation, Filipiniana, Reference, Periodicals, and Children's section. This classification is done through the use of Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme or DDC Scheme in which books are arranged according to its types. In other words, books of the same titles, category, and subject are placed in the desired section.