The National Library and Information System Authority (Nalis) was again designated the International Federation of Library Association – Preservation and Conservation (ILFA-PAC) Centre for the English speaking Caribbean. The new agreement for a further three-year term, from November 1, 2021, was officially signed last month by Paula Greene, executive director (Ag.), Nalis and by Gerald Leitner, secretary general IFLA, The Hague, Netherlands.

This designation, which was first bestowed upon Nalis in 2004, allows the Authority to be a part of a network of IFLA-PAC Centres around the globe with the aim of providing knowledge and expert advice on preservation and conservation practices within their region and to serve as ILFA’s key area of work on safeguarding and promoting culture and heritage.

As a PAC Centre, Nalis continues serving partner organisations locally and throughout the Caribbean. Key achievements since 2004 have included:

Promoting relevant best practices in preservation and conservation through technical consultations with over 150 local and regional organisations since 2010.
Serving on the Trinidad and Tobago National Committee of the UNESCO Memory of the World Programme since the inception of the committee in 2006;
Commissioning of the Preservation and Conservation Laboratory at the National Library of Trinidad and Tobago in 2013; and
Raising awareness of preservation and conservation issues through a range of outreach and training programmes including workshops, family heirloom preservation clinics and preservation webinar series.

Nalis was mandated, by Act No. 18 of 1998, to preserve Trinidad and Tobago’s national heritage information. The Authority remains committed to preserving the documentary heritage for future generations. Additional information about the IFLA PAC Centre, Trinidad and Tobago can be obtained from the website: https://www.ifla.org/pac-trinidad-and-tobago/