National Library of Haiti, National library in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

The National Library of Haiti stands at 193 rue du Centre in Port-au-Prince, on the site of the former Senate, in a building inaugurated on 26 March 1940. It has two reading rooms, a conference room, a space for cultural activities and four storage rooms holding monographs, periodicals, youth books and legal collections.

The first national library was created in 1825 under President Jean-Pierre Boyer; 444 volumes ordered by Dr. François Fournier de Pescay were bought that year, and a cabinet cost 75 gourdes. It likely disappeared amid the political clashes of the 1860s. The present library was founded in 1939, its foundation stone laid on 11 September on the former Senate site on rue du Centre, and inaugurated on 26 March 1940 under President Sténio Vincent.

The library's name appears in French and Haitian Creole, and its legal-deposit service, created under a 1984 decree, requires publishers to deposit five copies of each work. It hosts conferences, training workshops, exhibitions, debates and book signings, and since 1995 has been under the Ministry of Culture.

The library is easy to reach in the downtown area and welcomes visitors interested in browsing its diverse holdings. Planning what subjects to explore beforehand helps make the most of your visit.

During the 1960s under Duvalier's rule, three-quarters of the collection vanished without explanation or trace. This disappearance remains a stark reminder of how much Haiti lost during its most troubled years.