Libraries in Saudi Arabia have always been a critical component of Saudi culture and society. They have been prevalent in various forms in palaces, mosques, and schools for over a century and a half. Although older libraries differ from their modern counterparts, they played a pivotal role in facilitating cultural and intellectual movements and benefitting scholarships and scholars more broadly.

Endowed libraries, especially those in the Two Holy Mosques in Makkah and Al-Madinah, are among the oldest and the most important in the Kingdom. The provenance of the Great Mosque of Makkah library for example, dates back to 161 AH. It acquired the name "Library of Al Masjid Al Haram" during the reign of King Abdulaziz.

Libraries spread throughout the Najd region due in part to the sizable number of Islamic and other books imported from Iraq, the Levant, Morocco and Yemen. As many historians have noted, many of those books were moved to Riyadh after the death of King Abdulaziz. This transfer not only benefitted the large number of students there, but also directly contributed to the growth of private libraries in Riyadh. These included the Sheikh Abdullah bin Abdul Latif Al Sheikh Library, which housed an impressive collection of manuscripts, and the Sheikh Hamad bin Faris Library, among others.

In the decades ensuing the Kingdom's establishment, its libraries sought to bring themselves into line with modern notions of how such institutions work with respect to organization, equipment, and specialized services. These efforts not only preserved and developed existing collections but led to the opening of various new libraries, especially public libraries, throughout the Kingdom.

The most prominent public libraries during the reign of King Abdulaziz (1932–1953) were:

During the reign of King Saud, the General Administration for Libraries at the Ministry of Education was established after Cabinet Resolution No. 30 was issued in 1959, which mandated that the Ministry of Education establish libraries across the Kingdom. The Public Library of Madinah was established in 1960 on the southern side of the Prophet's Mosque. Libraries were established not only in large cities but also in Villages, such as Rawdat Sudair (est. 1958), Ushaqir (est. 1955), and Hotat Bani Tamim (est. 1957).

Between 1400 AH and 1405 AH, increasing the number of public libraries was a key development goal. Nine public libraries were established, adding a collection of 82,844 total documents. The School Libraries Administration became affiliated with the General Administration of Libraries, which reports to the Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Cultural and External Relations. Between 1405 AH and 1410 AH, the number of public libraries grew to 59, adding a total collection of 1,121,979 documents, and the labor force grew to 262. Between 1415 AH to 1420 AH, the number of public libraries grew to 71. In 1417 AH, the Ministry of Education, which oversaw this sector at the time, approved the "Public Libraries: Rules for Internal Organization” regulation, which provides for the development of libraries and the strengthening of their social and cultural position.

A number of quality libraries were established across the Kingdom in the 1980s. The most prominent example is the King Abdulaziz Public Library in Al-Madinah (est. 1983), one of the largest affiliated with the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance. This library is unique due to its hybrid form: it is part public library, part manuscript centre, and part scholarly research centre. It also houses one of the endowed collections of Al-Madinah. In the same year, the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies Library was established in Riyadh.