The National Library Service of Barbados is the government supported public-
library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vir ...
service in the nation of
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...
. Headquartered in the capital-city
Bridgetown
Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as "The Ci ...
, the main branch was located on Coleridge Street. It was constructed between 1903 and 1906, funded by a grant donated by Scottish-American philanthropist,
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...
.
The main branch on Coleridge Street is a
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and ...
-stone building, built in the style of the
English Renaissance
The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England from the early 16th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th cent ...
. The library held and preserved in both print and non-print formats an impressive collection of Barbadiana dating back to the 18th Century. The library in Bridgetown and other seven branches across the island offer registered membership to all Barbadians and visitors.
The Carnegie Free Library on Coleridge Street was closed in August 2006 for much needed renovations after 100 years of service to Bridgetown and its environs. The Library was moved to a building on Independence Square until such time that renovations could be completed. A National Heritage Task force under the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture, charged with raising funds to restore heritage buildings through its non-profit charitable body the Preservation (Barbados) Foundation Trust, is making the restoration of the Library its first project.
The National Library Service is governed under the purview of the
Prime Minister's Office.
Hours of Operation
The National Library Service of Barbados, Bridgetown Branch (Independence Sq.) is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm. It is closed on Sundays.
[ ]
See also
*
List of national and state libraries
A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valua ...
References
External links
Official site
Barbados, National Library Service of
Libraries established in 1847
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