The public library in Long Look East End has been relocated to the Wheatley building in Major Bay.
The library, which is now situated on the ground floor of the Wheatley building, was closed for several months to allow for infrastructural work on the building. The new location, equipped with a ramp, will be easily accessible by physically challenged persons, adhering to the global standard for library buildings.
Honourable Sharie De Castro, Minister for Education, Youth Affairs and Sports, congratulated the Chief Librarian and her team on the reopening. She emphasized the importance of public access to information in relation to the mandate of the ministry. “We are really appreciative of this step to create a public space where reading can come alive,” said Honourable De Castro.
She highlighted the library’s proximity to the Willard Wheatley Primary School, creating an opportunity for students to experience what it means to have a library as an integral part of the education system.
The Minister expressed her elation and anticipation for the additional steps to be taken to advance library services in the Territory.
Premier and Minister for Finance, Honourable Dr. Natalio Wheatley, also addressed the library’s opening and spoke of the integral role public libraries play in nation-building.
“The foundation of the success of the Virgin Islands is education, and you cannot have education without having reading and libraries to consume that information,” said the Premier.
Meanwhile, Chief Librarian, Ms. Suzanne Greenaway, stated that the new space would allow for better organization of the book collection and other furnishings.
The library will now provide two small units that it did not have at its previous location: a Caribbean Studies Unit where Caribbean and local materials will be housed, and computer sections where customers can access the Internet, check email, do word processing, and print their documents.
She added that the ambiance in the library and the aesthetically pleasing layout will be welcoming to the public.
“We know that the library is an integral part of the community, and we are eagerly looking forward to welcoming the public again and meeting their varied information needs,” said Ms. Greenaway.
The public is reminded that the Virgin Gorda and Anegada Community Libraries are open and available to meet their information needs. Persons can contact the Public Library Service via email at libraryservices@gov.vg, on Facebook at Public Library Service of the Virgin Islands, and they can gain access to the Library’s catalog VILIBCAT at www.vipubliclibraries.goalexandria.com.