Our National Library opened on March 26, 2003. It is a magnificent facility with special services for the visually and hearing impaired and the physically challenged. It will clearly play a major role in our national aspirations to become a more knowledge-oriented society.

However, we are experiencing several teething problems. At the old library the yearly average of new users was 2000. At our new library we have already registered 20,000 new users and there is still a backlog of user’s cards to be issued.

The Young Adult Library, the first of its kind in the Caribbean has seating for 150 persons. The daily average of users is 500. The flow through has increased three fold within the last two months and there is overcrowding between the hours of 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily.

We have had several reports of thefts and vandalism of the computers, furniture and equipment. The sale of user’s cards has also been discovered.

NALIS will not tolerate behaviour that is destructive of public property or which hampers the ability of bona fide users of the facility to use it as intended.

Management is now addressing the problems that have surfaced. We are in the process of instituting the following:

· Additional security guards to deal with crowd control and enforcement of rules.

· Alternative accommodation for the lockers and bag storage areas.

· Recruiting additional librarians and library assistants

· Assigning more personnel at the registration desk.

· Increasing the opening hours.

· Contacting users who have not collected their cards.

· New measures to deal with vandalism and indiscipline.

Our opening hours are Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m. – 12 noon. Our telephone numbers are 624-4466, 624-1130, 625-3501, 625-2873 and 623-6962, Our website is www.nalis.gov.tt.

We wish to thank the public for their patience and understanding over the last two months

It’s your Library…..preserve it!

Executive Management