Celebrating the dynamic legacy: Envisioning a purpose-built National Library of Jamaica

Abstract

The year 2019 marks a special year for the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) with the celebration of 40 years of sterling service to the cultural development of Jamaica. Under the theme ‘The Dynamic Legacy: Celebrating 40 Years with 40 Projects’, the 40 signature projects will showcase the NLJ’s depth of value and its myriad contributions to national development since its establishment in 1979. The NLJ originated from the collection of the West India Reference Library (WIRL) that was founded in 1894 as a section of the Public Library of the Institute of Jamaica. This public library was the first of its kind in Jamaica. The NLJ became an autonomous body in 1979 with its own budget and operations. The National Library of Jamaica Act, 2010 confirmed the autonomy of the NLJ, making it a corporate body with a legal framework to formalize the mandate and operations of the library. As an agency of the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the NLJ’s mission is to ‘enhance the quality of life and prosperity of all citizens by acquiring, preserving and providing access to Jamaica’s cultural and historical information through research and education’. The NLJ is unique in its role in the formal and informal education of the people and is the only library on the island positioned to serve an audience wider than its residents and its diaspora in the global information network.