Albemarle County's first branch library to serve residents living north of Charlottesville opened in a rented 15,500-square-foot space at Albemarle Square Shopping Center in 1991. The building once housed a Drug Fair discount pharmacy. As a library, the building was an immediate success, becoming Jefferson-Madison Regional Library's busiest branch. By 1998 it was clear the library required more space, so the Library Board of Trustees made a larger Northside Library one of its top goals.

Realizing the need for a larger library, and after pursuing several options, in 2012 Albemarle County entered into a contingent contract to purchase property owned by Martha Jefferson Hospital at 705 West Rio Road, formerly known as the Phillips Supply Building. In 2013 the contract was finalized, several community planning meetings were held, and HBM Architects was hired to design the new library. One of the reasons for the selection of HBM Architects was the firm's experience with re-purposing buildings to provide public library services.

Renovation of the Phillips Supply Building began in March 2014 and was completed in February 2015. The new library opened March 16, 2015. Highlights of the new building include a maker space with a 3-D printer, a drive-up service window, dozens of Internet computers, and multiple public meeting rooms.

The library is open 56 hours a week and offers a collection of about 100,000 items.