by Colin King Fri, Jan 20. 2012

The New National Public Library, fresh off its first anniversary (December 2011), is moving in a technological direction, with invaluable resources for the reading public at large, children and students.{{more}}

Director of Libraries Michelle King (Bachelor of Arts degree in Library and Information Services, Master of Arts in Information and Knowledge), apprised us of several of the services, and developments, for example free Wi-Fi for persons with laptops and Internet access in the juvenile and general computer rooms. King says they are expecting more computers soon – so that the public will have more access, and is encouraging patrons and students to fully utilize these services.

She spoke also of plans to incorporate electronic books (eBooks), with and for students with Government laptops in mind.

Other services featured in the interview – printing services for School Based Assessments (SBAs), essays and education projects, online public access of the library catalog of materials – developments at which the hard-working and amenable staff are at work.

The library boasts a comprehensive and excellent West Indian Collection (monthly in reference), which should be of value to tertiary level students in the field of literature, for example. She spoke, with this group in mind also, of study and research journals, and management studies materials.

The one-year-old infant library foray into millennium goals in information and ‘edutainment’ sees the library in policy development as it regards its fiction collection as it relates to the diversity range of clientele. In addition to eBooks, audio books (useful for the visually impaired) are in expansion, as well as a large print collection underway.

King urges the public to avail itself of library services, in particular, young children, an area that could use some improvement in patron numbers.

A web portal is under construction, from which the public can access the library materials from the privacy of home and personal space.

Potential patrons are encouraged to join the library, and in light of a balanced collection of fiction, and quality ‘edutainment’ fiction and non-fiction for children and adults alike, the vista seems bright.

Authors, modern – to beat selling to classic, you can find in the adult range, including top seller of the millennium, Nicholas Sparks (re: the Hollywood Movies, ‘Dear John’ ‘the Notebook’ and ‘Night In Rodanthe’), John Grisham, popular past-blasts Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steele as well as Masters, F-Scott Fitzgerald Ernest Hemingway, E.M. Forster, Henry James, and others.

The library archives boast a treasure trove, for self-improvement, education, in a pleasant, spacious environment.