Public Libraries
There are twenty-five Public Libraries in Trinidad and Tobago. Twenty-two libraries, in addition to the Mobile Library Service for the North and South Regions, are administered by the Public Libraries Division located at the NALIS headquarters in Port of Spain, Trinidad. The three libraries in Tobago are administered by the Tobago House of Assembly. NALIS also administers three Libraries in Correctional Institutions in accordance with the guidelines for library services for disadvantaged persons as recommended by the International Federation of Library Associations and Instuitions (IFLA). The Public Libraries provide several key services to the public, such as the following:
Youth Literacy Project: The Youth Literacy Project aims to provide effective literacy instruction to students in primary or secondary schools with literacy challenges. The Adult Tutors Literacy Association (ALTA) provides the literacy instruction at 10 public libraries to individuals aged 12–15 years and, where the feeder schools are primary and not secondary, children 9-11years. In 2012, 62 students graduated and to date a total of 185 young people have improved their literacy skills and received certification.
Computer Literacy: Basic computer literacy training courses are held monthly at the public libraries. The Move that Mouse programme was specifically targeted to elderly patrons.
Services for the Visually Impaired: Visually impaired patrons continue to receive assistive technology training at Arima, Port of Spain, Carnegie, Maloney, and Chaguanas public libraries. This group includes members of PAVI (People Associated with Visual Impairment) and the Blind Welfare Association. Visually impaired patrons are taught how to access Jaws for Windows and instructed in the use of the Brailler, ClearView Magnifier, the Poet Compact Reader and Microsoft Office Suite.
Homebound Services to Senior Citizens: Outreach services were extended to senior citizens at 12 homes for the elderly across Trinidad and Tobago. The residents of these homes have stories read to them and are engaged in stimulating discussions. Items offered for loan include large print materials.
Read more about this topic: National Library And Information System
Famous quotes containing the words public and/or libraries:
“We can teach prevention. For little kids, the best protection is that they should not be alone in public places. All children should be conscious of strangers, and be discriminating and wary of them. This won’t make them grow up suspicious as long as they have adults around whom they know and can trust: relatives, friends of their parents, parents of friends.”
—“How Parents Can Talk to Their Kids,” Newsweek (January 10, 1994)
“To me, nothing can be more important than giving children books, It’s better to be giving books to children than drug treatment to them when they’re 15 years old. Did it ever occur to anyone that if you put nice libraries in public schools you wouldn’t have to put them in prisons?”
—Fran Lebowitz (20th century)