Southern Mindanao Academy (SMA) began its operation in Digos, Davao del Sur in 1950 as an elementary school. Two years after in 1952, it became a junior high school. Due to the rising amount of students enrolled, the school was transferred to Barangay Camanchiles, Matan-ao Davao del Sur in 1958.

No concrete document recovered yet on where was the first location of the library inside the campus during that time because it was not stipulated in the caption of the library photo in the glimpses yearbook. (“I’ve heard that the cafeteria was once a library before”.) The only sources of information we have now in the library are the old and current school yearbooks. The most vintage yearbook we keep was the 1965 Glimpses. The librarian/library in charge that year was Ms. Vizminda R. Rion, at the same time a faculty. Due to increasing collection, the library was transferred to the second floor of the Administration Building. The collections were primarily for Secondary High school. After forty-four years, it became South Philippine Adventist College on February 15, 1994, the second denominationally-operated college in Mindanao. Acquisition of books and other learning materials are initiated by the library for the curricular programs offered; Bachelor of Arts in Theology, Bachelor of Computer Science, Bachelor of Office Administration, Bachelor of Secondary Education major in English and Bachelor of Elementary Education. The need for a separate and bigger building was realized when the Adventist Laymen Services and Industries International donated a 1-storey building in 2000 which up to now, the library is placed.

Additional courses were offered like Bachelor of Business Administration and Bachelor of Science in Accountancy which resulted to its increase number of volumes.

The present physical set-up is divided into High school and College Collection as recommended by one of the librarian accreditor. In the New Basic Education Building Plan, elementary and high school library will be separated while the college library will be transferred to a separate building also. The administration is visioning for a modernized library structure that would fit the digital age.

South Philippine Adventist College Library envisions being one of the core providers of a scholarly published researches and adequate Christian information resources and services among the Seventh-Day Adventist institutions and the community it serves.