The library was constructed in 1850. It has been named after Andrews, a retired magistrate, and co-established by Rao Bahadur Naginchand Jhaveri, a wealthy pearl dealer who often contributed to the development of the city.
The library holds some rare works in arts and history; and provides newspapers and magazines in many languages for the locals. In 2006, floods had destroyed about 25,000 of the libraries’ book collection.