Shenzhen library was formerly known as Bao'an County Library. In 1986, it was built and opened as one of the eight cultural facilities in Shenzhen.  In 2006, the new library in the central area was completed and opened. It is located in front of the beautiful Lianhua Mountain in the administrative and cultural center of Shenzhen. It covers an area of 29,612㎡, with a total construction area of 49,589㎡. The cumulative collection of documents is 11.9516 million copies (including paper documents and electronic documents). There are more than 200 24-hour self-service libraries in urban blocks, several branches and "youth reading bases" in the city. It receives about 4.5 million readers each year, and the total number of document lending services is nearly 5 million copies (4.9844 million copies in 2021). Multicultural services composed of Library building,website, wechat, microblog and telephone voice system have been established. In 2023, the North Library of Shenzhen Library, covering an area of 72,000㎡, will be completed and opened, with a design collection of 8 million books.

Adhering to the concept of "building a library with service, strengthening the library with technology and building a new library with culture", it is the first in the country to advocate open, equal and free services, take the lead in the full application of radio frequency identification technology. It also independently develops library automation integration system (ILAS) and leads the development of 24-hour self-help Library in urban blocks. Shenzhen library undertakes major projects such as national cultural innovation project and national cultural science and technology improvement plan. Create new cultural spaces such as South study,Lecture hall, Maker space, Book donation and exchange center,Shenzhen school literature area and All-media studio, create reading brands with Shenzhen characteristics and wide influence, such as "Shenzhen Scholars • South Study Night Talk" and "Humanities Forum", and hold nearly 2000 of reading promotion activities every year. In 2013, UNESCO awarded Shenzhen the title of "Global Model City for Universal Reading", which fully affirmed the achievements made by Shenzhen Library and forces from all walks of life in promoting universal reading.