Library in Hagåtña

The Story of the Library in Hagåtña

The Guam Public Library System officially opened on January 31, 1949, initially operating out of two Quonset huts near the Agana Azotea with a starting collection of about 13,000 books drawn largely from deactivated Navy libraries and donations from the Los Angeles Public Library. Later that year the library was renamed in memory of Nieves M. Flores (1889–1949), a longtime Guam educator, civic leader and land surveyor who devoted more than two decades to education on the island.

The main library moved into the former Guam Administration Building in 1960 and expanded floor by floor over the following decades, being formally designated the N. M. Flores Memorial Public Library in 1979. Today the Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library at 254 Martyr Street remains the flagship of the system, which in 2011 became a division of Guam's Department of CHamoru Affairs.

About Public Libraries in Hagåtña

The Guam Public Library System (GPLS) — headquartered at the Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library in Hagåtña — serves the entire island through its main library and village branches in Barrigada, Dededo, Hågat (Agat), Malesso, and Yona. Guam residents can get a free library card by applying online or in person at any GPLS location, which unlocks borrowing of books and materials, the online catalog, and free access to the system's digital resources and research databases.

With a free GPLS card, Guam residents get access to the system's online resources, including the OverDrive/Libby collection of eBooks and audiobooks, EBSCO research databases, and the library's online catalog — plus free local knowledge tools such as Guampedia and Learning CHamoru.

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