Education Ministry to Draft National Library Bill

Cabinet has given drafting instructions for the Ministry of Education and Youth to establish the National Library of Jamaica Bill (2007).
The Bill will see to the establishment of the National Library of Jamaica as an independent institution with primary responsibility to collect, catalogue, preserve and facilitate access to documents published in Jamaica, documents about Jamaica, and documents published by Jamaicans.
Minister of Information and Development, Donald Buchanan who made the disclosure yesterday (May 21) at the weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House said that the Bill would enable the National Library to serve effectively as the central library in the country’s national library and information system. It is also expected to enable the institution to meet international best practices for national libraries by means of its own legislative framework.
“The Bill among, other things, provides for the establishment of a board of directors with its function, authority and responsibilities specified; operation of the principal legal repository; and provision of research library and information services that promote cultural economics, scientific, technological educational political and social research and development,” Minister Buchanan informed.
In addition, the legislation will also provide for the establishment and maintenance of a representative collection of documents relating to the Caribbean community; the development of a bibliographic database and the publication of the Jamaica National Bibliography, and collaboration with the Institute of Jamaica, and promotion of the modernization of libraries within the national information system.