Seventy years of existence

THE JAMAICA Library Service (JLS) is very pleased to participate in the observance of Library and Information Week 2019 under the theme, ‘Celebrating the Past: Influencing the Future’. The theme resonates well with the JLS, which recently celebrated 70 years of service to the nation through the provision of public and school library and information services.

Being cognisant of the diverse information needs of the 21st-century learner, the JLS continues to retool and reposition public libraries as focal points for information access and community engagement. We invite all members of the public to visit any of the 116 public libraries across the island to engage in opportunities for personal development, which are offered free of cost.

As the Library and Information Association of Jamaica (LIAJA) marks the significant milestone of 70 years of existence, it is noteworthy that LIAJA had its genesis in the JLS in 1949. It is of significance that over the past 70 years, the JLS has been an incomparable training ground for many stalwarts in the profession who have assumed the highest position of leadership in the association.

The association continues to facilitate the growth and development of library and information professionals and provides an effective forum for advocacy in the wider communication and information sector. LIAJA’s notable and distinctive presence on the national and international library landscape is indeed commendable.

On behalf of the JLS, I congratulate LIAJA on the achievement of 70 years of stellar service to the nation and wish for the association continued success.