The plaque celebrating the inscription of the Constantine Collection on the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register was unveiled at the National Library on May 2, 2012. The Constantine Collection, held at the Heritage Library situated on second floor at National Library, was inscribed on the UNESCO Memory of the World National Register in 2010 and the International Register in 2011.

Lord Constantine’s daughter and heir to his collection, Gloria Valere, acclaimed historian professor Bridget Brereton, along with Nalis’ executive director Lucia Phillip, highlighted the importance of the Constantine Collection to the documentation of the heritage of Trinidad and Tobago.

Phillip said, “Lord Constantine was a multi-faceted character who achieved prominence in several areas of his life and this is reflected in the diversity of the 19000 plus items in the collection consisting of personal papers, printed materials and museum exhibits.” She continued, “The deposit of this collection has given even greater prominence to the role of the Heritage Library of Nalis to preserve, promote and exploit our national heritage information.”

Donald Bermont, personal assistant to the minister of the Arts and Multiculturalism, delivered the feature address on behalf of the minster. He described the collection as giving “a unique insight into fifty years of world cricket as well as British race relations, from 1930s to 1960s.”

The Memory of the World is the documented, collective memory of the peoples of the world and their documentary heritage which represents a large proportion of the world’s cultural heritage. An exhibition featuring letters, papers and other memorabilia of the late Lord Constantine, cricketer, politician and diplomat, can be viewed at the Heritage Library.