A Library at Last! Hurrah!!!

Oh the fond memories of afternoons, after school, heading for the Scarborough Library at the top of Burnett Street, pausing at the two record shops on the two up-and-down streets along the way, of course. And the not so fond memories of under-stocked, under-utilized and defunct school libraries, but that was a long, long time ago.

Why are we so capital-centric or city-centric or north-centric, if you like, in Trinidad and Tobago? I love the idea of having a magnificent edifice called the National Library in Port of Spain but what is the sense when the majority ( I stand to be corrected on this) of villages, towns and boroughs all over the country do not have proper libraries, if any at all, including school libraries?

When last I visited the Carnegie Library at San Fernando, the other city, students were sitting on the floor due to the cramped space. Princes Town was a little hole. Rio Claro had none. There is the mobile library system but can't we do better than that? Would not a library in every town and village be of tremendous value to the citizenry, particularly the children. Of course the concept of a library is no longer just books but also digital, multimedia, workshops and events, computers and internet access.

Think of the poor child, not fortunate to possess these capabilities at home but who may have the aptitude or potential to be a doctor or scientist. Think of the potential leader who, if not channelled down the positive path, may graduate to become a gang leader.

For years, even before the murder of deceased chairman Hansraj Sumairsingh (God rest his soul) and his vision in 1999, my good friend, Esther Noel (God bless her), and I, lobbied ceaselessly, to no avail, at the Rio Claro Regional Corporation for a library in Rio Claro, an important town with many dependencies in the south east of Trinidad. The sad thing is that there are many corporate citizens who would gladly support any library venture and I had secured the pledge of a big oil-exploration company at the time.

It warmed my heart to hear the Honourable Winston Peters announce recently that, at long last, Rio Claro will get a library of which the residents can be proud. All power to you, sir. We await with bated breath (even though I do not presently reside there).