National Library Workers' Day exists to recognize and acknowledge the important role that library and information workers play in connecting people with the information, resources, and services they need to improve their lives and communities.
Various activities will be organized by individual organizations to celebrate and honour their dedicated library workers and to appreciate those who make a difference in the world of libraries.
Take Action for Libraries Day
A day designated to mobilize advocates and heighten awareness of the pivotal roles libraries play in nation-building.
Take Action for Libraries Day involves activities like reaching out to elected officials for funding support geared towards library facilities improvement, sharing impactful stories about the influence of libraries, and engaging local communities to underscore libraries' significance.
Supporters are urged to actively participate to ensure ongoing funding and backing for libraries.
Author Talks
This year's Author Talks session features Chadia Mathurin and MacDonald Dixon.
Ms. Mathurin is the owner of Wakonté, a conglomerate dedicated to Afro-Caribbean development across business, technology and the arts.
Mr. MacDonald Dixon is a renowned poet and writer, having been honoured with the Saint Lucia Medal of Merit for his contributions to art and literature. He has written several short stories and plays, and holds a Lifetime Achievement Award from St. Lucia's Cultural Development Foundation.
Author Talks is aimed at connecting various aspects of the SALCC curriculum with the work of local authors, providing a platform for authors to promote their books, share their thoughts, and engage the audience with a deeper understanding of their creative process.
National Library Week began with a Thanksgiving Service dedicated to honouring library and information workers, supporters, and well-wishers who make libraries thrive.
Participating entities included The UWI Global Campus Library, Derek Walcott and Hunter J. Francois Libraries, The St. Lucia Public Library Service, and The National Archives Authority of Saint Lucia, among others.
National Library Outreach Day
A day for individual libraries and information units to extend their outreach into the community, offering assistance and support where needed.
This encompasses the development and enhancement of libraries, literacy activities, and training initiatives. The outreach services aim to bridge the gap between library resources and people facing barriers to access, including those who are home-bound, have disabilities, or reside in underserved areas.
As part of this commitment, The Hunter J. François Library will officially hand over the newly developed Anse La Raye Primary School Library to its principal, students, and faculty, and the Gros Islet Public Library will be officially re-opened on April 16, 2024.
The Take Action for Libraries initiative continues with an SALCC student debate, hosted by The Hunter J. François Library.
The moot for this debate is Libraries in Saint Lucia are antiquated relics, no longer essential in the digital age.
What is Library Week?
Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination.
They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life.
— Sidney Sheldon
National Library Week has been celebrated in Saint Lucia for the past twenty years.
It is an explicit call for a more nuanced understanding of the importance and uses of many different types of libraries, and seeks to promote greater understanding of how libraries have evolved — an invitation for everyone to join, visit, protect and support these public powerhouses of literary collections and information banks.
Libraries and Information Units around the island commemorate National Library Week, from April 8-13, 2024, under the global theme, For a Richer, Fuller Life, Read!
This theme emphasizes the transformative power of libraries and reading in enriching and enhancing one's life. It encourages individuals to embrace the habit of reading as a means of gaining knowledge, broadening perspectives, and experiencing the richness that literature can bring.
The theme also suggests that by immersing oneself in books and other written materials, one can embark on a journey of intellectual and emotional growth, ultimately leading to a more fulfilling and meaningful life. It underscores the profound impact that libraries can have on personal development, highlighting the idea that books are not just sources of information but gateways to a richer and fuller existence.
About HJFL
Steadfast in its student-centric approach to scholastic support, the Hunter J. François Library facilitates the success of students at SALCC through its supply of informational resources and instructional support.
The Library ensures that students and faculty receive access to its resources, for use in academics, research, and other informative contexts. The Library also lends its support through the hosting of literacy workshops, community outreaches, and the integration of technology into the development of its various collections.
Our Sponsors
NTN Live
FICS Financial Centre
Bank of Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia Hospitality Industry Workers' Credit Co-Operative Society Ltd.
A growing body of evidence suggests that students' academic success is linked to library usage, including improved student retention and an enhanced academic experience.
The oldest library in the world, called The Library of Ashurbanipal, is located in Nineveh in modern day Iraq. It was founded sometime in the 7th century B.C.
Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie was a one-man library-funding machine. He donated $55 million ($1.6 billion today) between 1886 and 1919, to open 2509 libraries around the world.
The Central Library in Castries, Saint Lucia also benefited from his donations.
Hong Kong has around 300 libraries for 7 million people.
The Hunter J. Francois Library was the first in the OECS to become fully automated.
Featuring over 32 million ebooks, the Internet Archive is the largest digital library ever created.
The oldest digital library, Project Gutenberg, was founded in 1971, by American writer Michael S. Hart.
It was a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to encourage the creation and distribution of ebooks.
With support from Microsoft, a team of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recorded the ancient life and culture in this South Asian country and made 40,000 digital images available to the Bhutan National Archives. A copy of the picture book was donated to the Library of Congress.
Librarians used to have to learn a specific style of handwriting known as Librarian Hand.
The practice was prevalent in the late 1800s, when library pioneer Melvil Dewey — of the Dewey Decimal System fame — and other curators of early collections believed that legible handwriting was a must for card catalogs. The practice faded as typewriters grew in popularity.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans call a library their workplace. As of 2020, there were approximately 163, 810 librarians; 30, 810 library technicians; and 69, 650 library assistants working in the United States.
The Most Overdue Book was 122 Years Late. In 2011, the Camden School of Arts lending library in Australia had their book returned to them.
The book loaned was Charles Darwin's Insectivorous Plants. Interestingly, it was borrowed in 1889, breaking the record of the most overdue book in history with 122 years.