The National Library Service of Barbados is the government supported public-
library
A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
service in the nation of
Barbados
Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
. Headquartered in the capital-city
Bridgetown
Bridgetown (UN/LOCODE: BB BGI) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Barbados. Formerly The Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the Parishes of Barbados, parish of Saint Michael, Barbados, Saint Mic ...
, 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 History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
.
The main branch on Coleridge Street is a
coral
Corals are colonial marine invertebrates within the subphylum Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact Colony (biology), colonies of many identical individual polyp (zoology), polyps. Coral species include the important Coral ...
-stone building, built in the style of the
English Renaissance
The English Renaissance was a Cultural movement, cultural and Art movement, artistic movement in England during the late 15th, 16th and early 17th centuries. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginni ...
. 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 ...
*
List of Carnegie libraries in the Caribbean
This is a list of Carnegie library, Carnegie libraries in the Caribbean. Although most of Carnegie's philanthropic efforts were aimed at North America and Europe, a handful of libraries are scattered in other areas of the world.
Notes
Referen ...
References
External links
Official site
Barbados, National Library Service of
Libraries established in 1847
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