|
|
Belize
|
Directory Information
|
As early as 1825 a library service existed, and between that time and 1902 there were seven libraries and reading rooms. The Jubilee Library, from which the idea of public library service spread in Belize, opened in 1935 with assistance from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The central government undertook to provide funds for the library service.
National Library Services
The National Library Service came under the direction of the Minister of Education in 1960. A statutory library board administers the service. It has its headquarters in the Bliss Institute in Belize City. The service's bookstock totalled 125,000 in the late 1980s. The National Library Service extends full library services to all government departments and other institutions. It also acts as the national library.
The main lending library, also in the Bliss Institute in Belize City, offers some 15,000 volumes in English. A National Collection comprises about 2, 000 volumes and includes books primarily on Belize or by Belizeans, a West Indian collection, and a Central American collection, including works on Maya civilization. Apart from the Bliss Institute, which was only partly designed for library use, there are three other library buildings in the country designed for that purpose. These are in three main towns: Punta Gorda, Orange Walk, and Corozal. All other library services are housed in rented or borrowed accommodations.
There are 58 service points or sub-libraries throughout the country, administered by a staff of 2 professional librarians, 14 paraprofessionals, 15 clerical workers, a bookbinder, and a host of part-time volunteers in the villages (1987). A bookmobile service has been in operation since 1979. Other sections of the service include a children's library and a reference library.
Membership at any service point of the National Library Service is free. Any child who is able to read may join a library and on reaching age 16 may register as a member of the adult library. Members total 18,200, the majority of them children; books issued average 75,000 annually.
Sources:
|