The Law Library has been in existence since the late 1950’s. Originally being housed on the second floor of the County Courthouse (now known as the Spartanburg Judicial Center), it consisted mostly of materials donated by local law firms and retired attorneys. Eventually more formal funding became available and the collection was moved to the top floor of the Judicial Center in the early 1980’s, to its current location, where it was designated the H. Carlisle Bean Law Library by the Spartanburg County Council.

The H. Carlisle Bean Law Library came under the operation and management of the Spartanburg County Public Libraries system in 1999, when the Spartanburg County Council passed Resolution R-99-002, naming it as the 11th branch in the Library’s system. Since that time, the library has added a full time Assistant to the staff, continued to expand its collection of legal materials, and has been updated with computers, electronic databases, and wireless Internet service.

H. Carlisle Bean (1923-2000) began practicing law in 1948 after serving in World War II as a Naval Officer and pilot. Mr. Bean practiced law in Spartanburg for over 50 years and served briefly in the South Carolina House of Representatives. From 1953 to 1961 he served on the Spartanburg County Public Libraries’ Board of Trustees, and served as its Chair for 6 of those years. He also served as the Chairman of the Law Library Committee of the Spartanburg County Bar Association for 25 years.