National Library to create a Department of Oral History

The National Library is planning to establish a department of oral history soon.

This was announced by the Minister of Creative Economy, Culture and Sports, John King yesterday, during a church service at Whitepark Wesleyan Holiness Church to celebrate the National Library’s 172nd anniversary.

The Minister said that the new department will record the memories of families, communities, notable events and Barbadian culture, which will be freely accessible to the public. He added that for Vision 2020, the library will be hosting a literacy fair and story events across Barbados, including an oral project on the fishing community.

In addition to this, the National Library Service intends to share knowledge on technological issues. In his remarks, King said that the free national service is expected to give a number of presentations on technology, which include blockchain, cyber-security and social media. The Minister also highlighted this year, the organisation assisted Barbadians with TAMIS registration by collaborating with the Barbados Revenue Authority (BRA).

As the National Library seeks to increase literacy among society, King noted that not only has the membership of the service has grown with over 40 000 Barbadians using the library, but the service has increased the number of books that can be borrowed, with children now being able to check out six books and adults twelve books. Also, the minister noted that the National Summer Reading Challenge has targeted primary and secondary children and the participants are anxiously expecting their results.

As the library celebrates its anniversary, King encouraged Barbadians to read more and fully utilise the services provided. “Public libraries today are more than just physical spaces to store books… they provide social learning spaces for everyone,” he said. (KPB)