By Cedric Johnson, Gleaner WriterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE NEWLY-OPENED extension of the Westmoreland Parish Library has been described as a significant investment that will bring added value to the overall development of Savanna-la-Mar.
"It was here in Westmoreland that the modern labour movement started over 60 years ago and you can use the library to research and tell the world what you have achieved," said Education Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson, who was the keynote speaker at last Wednesday's official opening of the J$20 million project.
In underscoring the need for young people to return to the practice of reading and comprehension, using words as a foundation to create, the Minister stated that it was part of Government's thrust to promote and encourage this aspect of education. According to her, failure to read and comprehend was at the root of the poor performance of students in the schools.
"We need to go back to the days when the library was used as a community facility, a place of learning to expand one's intellectual horizons," the Minister said. "I want the community to utilise the facility to stage lectures, seek information, have debates and showcase what the community can do both culturally and intellectually."
Senior librarian, Cecil Graham, in an interview, tells The Gleaner that the 4,000-square foot building, which will house a separate adult lending and reference section, work room, lunch area and sanitary facility, will be offering services such as internet access with and without using the dial-up, library orientation, lectures/exhibits, reading competition, story hour sessions, photocopying, fax, scanning, word processing, reference and information.
Mr. Graham also disclosed that the original building, which has been refurbished, will now accommodate the children's library, which has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. Seating capacity, which now stands at 112, has more than doubled, the computer resource stock, which now stands at five, has room for an additional five.
Funding for the project, which was undertaken by Ultimate Construction Company Limited, came from the Government of Jamaica, community organisations, corporate entities and income-generating projects put on by the library.
