After over a century of dedicated service to the Guyanese populace, the Guyana National Library has achieved another significant milestone, celebrating its 103rd birthday on September 9 last.
Although founded in 1909, the groundwork for the establishment of the then Carnegie Free Library actually began in 1907, after entrepreneur Andrew Carnegie provided a grant of £7,000 towards its construction. After several name changes along the years, in 1972, the Library Ordinance was amended which resulted in yet another name change from the Public Library to the National Library. The library now had dual responsibility for National and Library Services.
Appointed by Sir FM Hodgson, the then governor, the Provisional Committee met on December 23, 1908, and gave effect to the proposal to establish a Public Free Library for Georgetown in a building to be erected from the funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. The library continues to be controlled by this National Library Committee, a semi autonomous statutory library body whose operations are financed mainly by central government.
From its genesis to now, the library has not only sustained the test of time, but it has also seen its fair share of expansions and departmental developments. These include the enlargement of the building in 1933 to provide accommodation for the British Guiana Museum which occupied the space from 1935-1951, after which the space was used to facilitate the reorganisation and expansion of the building.
Other modifications included establishing branches at several locations across the country, establishing a children’s section and establishing the Prison Library Service.
At its inception the now Guyana National Library had one branch with 57,000 books and 1,500 members. Today that number has grown to 421,984 and 191,790 respectively. Also, the library now has 5 branches, 21 centres, 4 prison services and 14 bookmobile stops located on the East Bank and West Bank Demerara and the East Bank Essequibo.
