Anguilla Public Library

I visited several libraries over the summer of 2010 and the Anguilla Public Library was my last stop.

The building, the Edison L Hughes Library and Education Complex, was constructed in 1997 and houses the public library, the Teachers' Resource Centre along with a large auditorium, an audiovisual unit and small meeting rooms. The library seems to be well integrated into the educational system.


There is a well lit and spacious circulations area.


Here is another view of that circulations area. Note the display rack with both print and electronic resources.


This is the non fiction area.


And here is the fiction area.


One of the campuses of the The Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive school (ALHCS) is located on the other side of the street from the library. On the day I visited there were a number of students from the school using the library. A few students were using the children's section of the library.


Some others were using the computers.


In addition to a Reference section,


there are dedicated areas for the Caribbean



and the Anguillan collections.

I really enjoyed my visit at the Anguilla Public Library. The staff was really accommodating and I appreciated their willingness to help.

Nevis Public Library

I cannot believe that it has been two months since I updated this blog. Wow, time flies.

The Nevis Public Library in the capital, Charlestown, was another one of my stops this last summer. Here are some photos of the building and its space. The architecture is incredible!

This is the exterior of the building which was once used to house slaves before they were taken to the square next door to be auctioned off.



The library occupies the upper level of the buiding. The clock which is still functioning has been in the tower has been there from the 1800s I am told.



Here is what you see as you enter the building.



This is basically the extent of the library. As with most libraries, there are space contraints. And yes, the staff was very helpful.



Here is another look with a bit more of the roof visible. Note those incredible beams!



Here is a closer look at those beams.



The architecture and history of this library building is fascinating. However, because in the Caribbean many libraries do no occupy purpose built facilities, library administrators are forced to adapt the space allocated to suit the requirements of the libary. Though that was obviously done in this case, the history of the building is still evident. What a remarkable teaching opportunity!

I truly enjoyed my visit to the library and to Nevis as a whole.

St. Kitts Public Library

I visited the St Kitts Public Library back in April.



These school children were attending story hour while I was here.



Their enthusiasm brought a smile to my face.



Here are some other photographs of the inside of the library.





The library appeared to be quite spacious.







And here is the entrance.



I really enjoyed my visit to St. Kitts Public Library. The staff was very accommodating and resourceful. Kudos to them.

Montserrat Public Library

I visited Montserrat in April. Lovely, lush country. The public library was on my to-do-list and I was not disappointed. The library is making use of technology with Alexandria for its ILS and a bank of public computers which are heavily used by patrons. Here are some photos of the library.

This is the adult lending section.



And this is the children's section.



And here is a look at the exterior.



This library is situated at Brades. Brades was anticipated to be the new town to replace the volcano ravaged Plymouth. The Government has however chosen Little Bay to be the new town centre.



It is in this area of Little Bay that a new library, museum and archives will be located.



Sounds good to me. Hopefully it will come to fruition soon.

Antigua Public Library

I recently had the opportunity to visit Antigua (and Barbuda). Here are some photos I took of the Public Library building and inner space.



The library occupies the top floor of this building and is in the heart of the city. While I was there patrons were coming and going constantly. The bank of computers was a big hit with patrons of all ages.




As is the case with most libraries in the Caribbean, there were severe space challenges.

More on the Re-opening of the Public Library

The official re-opening of the Main Branch of the Public/National Library was held Friday January 30th. Speaking at the associated ceremony Minister of Community Development and Culture Steve Blackett noted that the re-opening was considered one of the highlights to date of his ministry. The Library had been closed since August 2005 and as Minister Blackett once stated the incident was a national shame for a country which boasts of a 98% literacy rate. So it is understandable that he was proud to have the library up and running in just over a year of his DLP government coming to office.

At this ceremony the minister spoke of plans to invest in electronic resources to improve the availability and quality of services to the users. Mention was made of the acute shortage (island wide) of professional librarians and conservators. I look forward to seeing a few National Development Scholarships being awarded in these areas. I know of two persons who want to be trained but are unable to get funding to do so.

The Main Branch of the Public/National Library was formerly housed in a Carnegie Building; one of the few in the Caribbean and dating back to 1905. There are plans according to the minister to refurbish this building before the end of the first term in office. A national treasure such of this should never have been allowed to fall into such a state of disrepair. The Barbados National Trust I am sure will take an interest in this project.

Much was said and promised at that re-opening ceremony. I look forward to the follow through.

More on the re-opening is available here.