The Bermuda National Library was founded by Governor William Reid in 1839 and was located in what is now the Cabinet Building. This library started out with 276 volumes – most of which were donated by the governor himself. In 1916, the library moved to its present location in Par-la-Ville Park. In 1997, the Library underwent renovations and an elevator was installed allowing wheelchair access to the lending and reference sections on the second level.

The Bermuda Youth Library has been at its present location at 74 Church Street, Hamilton since July 1982. As of January 2002, the library’s holdings were approximately 12,700 and membership to the library is over 4,700 persons.