An excellent librarian

THE EDITOR, Madam:

LET ME take this opportunity to congratulate Mrs. Patricia Cuff on behalf of the information profession for her excellent job as Principal Librarian at the Jamaica National Library Service. Mrs. Cuff is a role model for many young persons in and considering the profession. As a stalwart in the library service of Jamaica, Mrs. Cuff has paved the way for the development of the local library service. She is a woman of excellence, service-oriented with a big heart.

It is truly comforting to know that in the midst of such crime, hostility and economic deprivation one can still be kind and sensitive towards others, obviously her strength comes from the Almighty.

Mrs. Cuff is one of the many librarians/information professionals deserving of national recognition. The time has come to applaud these pioneers who have fought against the marginalisation of librarians. They have weathered the storm and surfaced victorious. They have proven their worth to and increased their visibility in society. Their unique ability to acquire, organise, analyse, sift, repackage preserve and communicate information is nothing less than impressive.

The provision of free access to information is a basic human right. The use and manipulation of technology to provide relevant, current, personalised and customised information is undeniably the librarian's forte. As a result of the rapid advancement in information technology, libraries have assumed new and dynamic functions.

Mrs. Cuff shares her secret to success as finding creative solutions to problems. Her solution-oriented nature is demonstrative of an optimistic outlook on life. Her creativeness is represented in the non-traditional services provided under her administration such as reading competitions, story telling sessions in the inner city locales. Her involvement in community service is worthy of praise.

Libraries are so focused on information provision and free and equal information access to all that Internet access is now a standard service, a definite achievement towards reducing the gap between the information-rich and information-poor. Mrs. Cuff keep up the good work, Jamaica supports you and is truly proud of you.

I am, etc.,

NICOLE AYEN
A28 Irvine Hall
UWI, Mona,
Kingston 7, Jamaica
E-mail: n_ayen@yahoo.com
Via Go-Jamaica

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