National Library and Information System - The Heritage Library

The Heritage Library

The Heritage Library of the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) evolved from the integration in 1994 of the West Indian Reference Library of the Central Library Services of Trinidad and Tobago and the West Indian Reference Section of the Trinidad Public Library. Ms. Pearl Eintou Springer served as the first Director of the Heritage Library Division from October 1993 until her retirement in 2003. Under her stewardship, the Heritage Library was placed in the centre of the community, presenting the society to itself through a rich collection of information on Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean by extension. Her work was continued by Mrs. Joan Osborne, Director of Heritage Library from 2003 to 2012. They succeeded in transforming the Heritage Library into a notable institution, intimately involved in culture, the arts, history and literature on Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean.

The Heritage Library is committed to the preservation of the nation's Heritage Collections and building of the oral history records. Its main role, therefore, is to acquire, preserve and promote information in all formats, on or about Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the Heritage Library houses the Legal Deposit items and acts as a national depository and resource for materials published in Trinidad and Tobago.

The goal of the Heritage Library is to preserve and promote the culture of Trinidad and Tobago by staging educational programmes, exhibitions and displays commemorating national festivals throughout the year. It also provides a support base and information center for the branch libraries. It facilitates this role by providing repackaged information/materials, and organizing and disseminating all information on various national heritage exhibitions about our nation's diverse ethnic groups and cultures. The Heritage Library also regularly hosts Caribbean Research Workshops to expose students to the availability of various Caribbean resources and to train them in their use.

In addition to hosting lectures, workshops, exhibitions and displays, the Heritage Library has managed NALIS’ First Time Authors Appreciation Programme (initiated in 2009). The First Time Authors Appreciation Programme is designed to encourage writers to have their works published and to raise public awareness of the issues involved in the protection of intellectual property as well as the enforcement of copyright.