National Library and Information System
national library of Trinidad and Tobago
The National Library and Information System of Trinidad and Tobago (known as NALIS) is a corporate body established by the NALIS Act No. 18 of 1998 to administer the development and coordination of library and information services in Trinidad and Tobago.
As a statutory authority under the Ministry of Communication, NALIS is governed by a board which ensures proper and efficient performance of the functions of the organisation. NALIS is managed by an executive director assisted by a deputy executive director and directors of its various divisions.
NALIS provides library and information services at the Heritage Library (located in the National Library Building, Port-of-Spain), 23 public libraries, 4 mobile libraries, 66 special libraries, 133 secondary and 483 primary school libraries, 25 ECCE centres. Library services are also provided through its website at www.nalis.gov.tt and its social media sites: the blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
The National Library of Trinidad and Tobago, located at Hart and Abercromby Streets in Port of Spain, is the administrative seat and focal point of NALIS' libraries and information service centres in Trinidad and Tobago.
History
The Public Library Service began in Port of Spain in 1851, the Carnegie Free Library was established in San Fernando in 1919, and the Central Library Service was introduced at the Ministry of Education in 1949. These three organisations were responsible for the administration of library services in Trinidad and Tobago until 1998. On 18 September 1998, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago repealed the Acts that governed these three separate bodies and established the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) as a Statutory Authority under the NALIS Act, No.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “National Library and Information System” is national library of Trinidad and Tobago. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through National, Library and Information, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “national library of Trinidad and Tobago” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6974132. Authority coordinates are 10.652, -61.512. 1 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1998, 1851, 1919 and 1949.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “National Library and Information System”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow National Library and Information System primary sources, National Library and Information System archive and National research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “National Library and Information System”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “National Library and Information System” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.