Libraries still relevant

Laura Redpath, Senior Gleaner Writer

EXPERTS WITHIN library information systems yesterday challenged assumptions that Jamaican libraries are losing their relevance in the age of the Internet.

Representatives from library services in academia and the National Library of Jamaica met at The Gleaner Company yesterday to discuss the role that libraries play in society.

Dr Paulette Kerr, lecturer in the Department of Library and Information Studies at the University of the West Indies, stressed the importance of being information literate in today's society.

"Sometimes we overlook the intermediary role that libraries continue to play in facilitating people's understanding of information, and helping them to evaluate and use information effectively," she told The Gleaner.

She also noted that all types of libraries, whether in an academic setting or public libraries, played a crucial role.

David Drysdale, librarian at the University of Technology, supported Kerr in noting that people were still relying on libraries for supplying their information needs.

Reading not popular

He also acknowledged that reading was not very popular in Jamaican society, saying that persons did not read "half as much as they should".

However, the case is different for many youngsters in elementary schools and high schools.

"Hundreds of thousands of Jamaican children," he said, "will find the libraries, especially the public ones, relevant."

A vox pop carried out by The Gleaner showed that five of the nine persons interviewed still found the libraries relevant.

Winsome Hudson, the executive director of the National Library of Jamaica, said she found this reassuring.

"We're not going to see the end of (libraries) any time soon," she said with confidence.