The University of Guyana Library has received the highly prestigious Albertina Pérez de Rosa Award at the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) 52nd conference held in Kingston, Jamaica.
A University of Guyana press release stated that the conference was held from June 5 – 9 under the theme ‘From Metadata to Big Data: Trends and Hidden Treasures in Libraries, Museums, and Archives of the Caribbean’.
The award was presented by the ACURIL Puerto Rico Chapter in the recognition of the excellent collaborative work between the libraries of the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen and Berbice, campuses, for piloting, implementing and documenting the success story of the Koha Open-Source Library Management System (LMS), the release said. The three researchers who documented the Koha LMS implementation at the University of Guyana were Gwyneth George, Simone Bernard and Somattie Sayrange. The award was received by Savrange on behalf of the University of Guyana Library, Turkeyen and Tain campuses.
The ACURIL Conference, held annually in Latin America and the Caribbean, brings together 300 librarians, information professionals, and archivists to discuss current library challenges and explore new trends in the information world. The conference aims to counteract issues faced by libraries and promote excellence, creativity, and innovation, fostering growth, development, and sharing of ideas and experiences in the library sector, the release said.
The Albertina Pérez de Rosa Award honours collaboration in information institutions, communities of practice, and local or regional units. It acknowledges the quality of projects implemented for Caribbean clients’ benefit.
The University of Guyana Library implemented the Koha LMS in 2007 to automate its services in the English-speaking Caribbean. Despite challenges in space, information dissemination, and budgetary constraints, the library successfully addressed these limitations and improved services. The University’s Department of Software Services, led by Director Sekhar Moses Mallampati, supported the project, the release said.
The Koha ILS, launched in 2011, allows students, staff, and the public to search for collections in UG’s Library using the ‘Online Public Access Catalog’ feature in Koha software https://library.uog.edu.gy. The system was launched at Berbice Campus Library in 2011 and Turkeyen Campus Library in 2012, UG noted.
The University of Guyana will host the 2024 ACURIL Conference in Guyana, marking the country’s rapid development in information access through ICTs. It will collaborate with local and regional counterparts to plan and execute the event at international standards. The conference received unanimous endorsement from around 330 participants at the 2023 conference.
The release quoted UG Librarian and member of the ACURIL Executive Council George as saying: “This is a wonderful opportunity for Guyana to host this conference in this auspicious moment of the development of this country. It will offer an excellent platform and a unique opportunity for libraries across the spectrum of Guyana to meet with their colleagues to discuss the challenges and opportunities that confront libraries in the era of the evolving metadata and big data. It is also a wonderful opportunity for the libraries to have important and significant discussions with the Government of Guyana about the continued importance of libraries in the strategic development thrusts of the country and in subscribing to the Sustainable Development Goals.”
It added that ACURIL incoming President Erick Toussaint commended Guyana’s acceptance of the conference host role, thanking the Local Organising Committee for their participation in Jamaica and commitment to ACURIL 2024.
The University of Guyana Library was established in 1963 with its parent institution at Turkeyen and is now a dual campus entity with the establishment of the Berbice Campus Library in 2000, the release said.
UG, now in its 60th year, the release noted, started its operations in October 1963. It offers over 150 programmes in more than 60 disciplines in online, face-to-face or blended formats. UG delivers in a Guyana-based system across eight campuses. It is the largest, oldest, most advanced and only state university in Guyana with a student population of over 10,000.
