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The public library system of Trinidad and Tobago evolved from three separate services. One was the the subscription library s established in 1851 under Lord Harris, governor of Trinidad from 1846 to 1854 which became a free service 100 years later in 1951. The library was said to be first located at the Red House, until it moved to the building on Knox Street and was known as the Trinidad Public Library Service. This service concentrated in Port of Spain.

In addition to this library service the island first free library was opened in 1919 at a Carnegie building in San Fernando which was the island second town and was know as the Carnegie Free Library and serviced only the town of San Fernando.

The third service was the Central Library of Trinidad and Tobago which was instituted in 1941. This third service was taken over by the government in 1945 on the recommendation of Ernest Savage’s survey report and recommendations to the Carnegie Corporation and came under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education in 1949.

These three services and all other libraries in the public sector – public, special and school – came under the jurisdiction of the National Library and Information Authority (NALIS) in 1998 by an act of parliament, when the NALIS Act was passed.

In additional to the other types of libraries, there are 24 public library buildings which NALIS has responsibility for. These are:

Port of Spain