[6] The central library building on Bulevar Miguel Pou was designed by Ponce architect Juan Dalmau Sambolín.

[8][9][10][11] The books from the Gabinete de Lectura, the personal collection of Don Miguel Rosich and miscellaneous purchases were used to stock the Public Library.

[13] The Gabinete was established in 1870 by Federico Perez, Antonio Molina Jr., Diego Vicente Texeira, Rafael Rodriguez, Luis R. Velazquez, Angel Aguerrevera, and Eduardo Neumann Gandía, and was located on Calle Sol.

However, it was reopened in 1876 by a group of people that included some of its original founders plus Dr. Rafael Pujals, Oscar Schuck, Alfredo Casals, Antonio Molina, Ramon Rivera, Jacobo Tur, Sergio Cuevas Zequeira, Juan Cuevas Aboy, Oriol Pasarell, Francisco Oliver, Manuel Mayoral Barnes, and Manuel Yordan.

[15] It was re-established on 8 April 1877 with Rafael Pujals, Jose A. Renta, Julio Chardon, Ramon Marin, Baldomero San Antonio, Luis Lassise, Antonio Perez Guerra, Eduardo Salichs, Juan J. Mayoral, Pedro P. Valdivieso, Eduardo Neumann Gandia, Rafael Rodriguez, and Luis Velazquez as its directors.

It contained 1,500 volumes that came from the "Gabinete de Lectura", the private collection of Manuel Rosich, a prominent local educator, and donations from citizens at large.

In 1940, mayor Jose Tormos Diego reconditioned the northern annex of Teatro La Perla to be used as the headquarters of the Ponce municipal library.

[28] By 1946 the Ponce Public Library collection had increased to 9,648 volumes, mostly of general character, but completely catalogued according to the Dewey system.

[40][41] The modern facility opened over three years after the untimely death of its proud mastermind and instigator, "the beloved Ponce Mayor Rafael Churumba Cordero".

Facilities also include an exhibition hall for art expositions and other similar public events of cultural and civic nature.

In 1969, Suarez de Longo directed the Staff Training Center of the Ponce Municipal Head Start program.