The earliest and most important libraries in America were the private libraries of men with scholarly interests, for example, John Harvard, and although libraries existed during early periods of history, free public libraries maintained by local government were rarely known before the establishment of the Boston Public Library in 1852.

Enfield's library, as many other institutions, began as a subscription library in 1874.

The establishment of library association was a positive response to an educational, and recreational and cultural meet in Enfield. The association's purpose, according to article to of its constitution, was the foster the intellectual and moral improvement of its membership. The library was privately funded through subscription (membership: $2.00 annual and $10.00 lifetime) and fundraising affairs, for example: poster teas, cultural affairs, and lyceum programs. The libraries collection was housed in a private residence on Enfield Street and meetings were held periodically to elect officers, and admit new members.  By 1883, the library had approved over 50 life members, as significant number considering the 19th century membership cost was $10.00. The Enfield Library Association remained active and continued to collect and disseminate books until 1896 when the collection was entrusted to the newly organized free public library.

A need was then realized for the construction of a new public library building despite opposing cries within the community. (It is interesting to know that during the last decade the 19th century through 1936, library users from Hazardville area were service of the general store of E.C. Allen & Son whose lending collection was refurbished weekly by the town library via the trolley which ran by a way of Hazard Avenue to Somers. John Pickens, the father of the Enfield Carnegie Library successfully petitioned Andrew Carnegie for money for the establishment of a new free public library at Enfield.

During early part of the 20th century which found trolleys traveling between Enfield, Springfield, and Hartford, free public libraries gained great momentum to the philanthropy of men such as Andrew Carnegie. With a great precept of the times, a man named John Pickens envisioned a new free public library for the communities of Thompsonville, Enfield and Hazardville all through great personal endurance, fought for and had established a free public library which even now stands at Pearl and Franklin Street in Enfield. During the ensuing 32 years, the Carnegie Grant library stood as a monument and testimony not only to adult education, but to education in general. The need to the town's people were met here and the extension of services to Hazardville were continued to the contract to the E.C. Allen Store. In 1936, however, a realization of a need was met with the establishment of all new branch library in the Hazardville Institute. In 1937, the library then moved to establish a branch at the Brainard School and again in 1939 the Lincoln Street Branch was built to facilitate library patronage to close proximity. Thus the golden age of Enfield libraries endured for two decades. Then, in the 1950s after the death of John Pickens, a new building was constructed on school Street in Hazardville as a monument to John Pickens, "a man loaded new the values of libraries".

As the automobile displaced the trolley, so it has displaced those branch libraries which were established at the Brainard School, Lincoln Street and Hazardville Institute. With our new mobility and fantastic explosion of information, coupled with a geometric growth and population to these years between the end of the second war and beginning of the Vietnam conflict, a new need was met and filled to the planning establishment of the Enfield Central Library. Build data cost of $800,000 this Central collection houses and circulates over 200,000 volumes annually. The Central library is more, however, the collection of books. It is a systematic key to the total gamut of knowledge which is now reinforced through a new concept, "library in line", which enables answers to questions which cannot be answered by the Central libraries collection, through a toll-free watts number (800-842-2285). In addition, children's and adults programs are ongoing during specific periods, and the library is always responding to apparent community needs.