Having played a primary role in the University of Guyana (UG)’s existence, concerns are being raised regarding the current state of the UG library, due to it having to operate under severe shortages and lack of skilled personnel.This fact was admitted by Chief Librarian, Gwyneth George, who noted that lack of funding,Wholesale NFL Jerseys China, which has lately been rendered as a university problem, is having severe effects on the stock of publications available for research at the library.The Librarian said that as a result, most of the collections that are currently available for use are outdated. She added that this problem is not new and has been “out in the open” for years.UG’s Chief Librarian, Gwyneth GeorgeAlthough being a beneficiary of book donations from several entities, the Librarian said that the literature does not always fall under the subject area in which the library is most lacking. The library recently received once such donation from the Mexican Embassy.The donation comprised a number of Spanish-titled books, based on Culture, History and Migration among other topics.She said that in order to adequately bring their research material up-to-date, a massive funding dedicated solely to boosting the collection, is needed.Identified as a difficulty that is an even greater limitation than funding, is the diminishing skill bank. She said that the library has been suffering from a lack of skills due to the resignation or migration of several trained personnel.Furthermore, the opportunity is not open for training of personnel in the profession, as the local university does not offer a course in Library Science.The Librarian said that the she was able to qualify for the position after having studied the course at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in Jamaica. Previous librarians too, she noted, studied at universities in London and in the USA. She added that while prospective librarians are available, some do not acquire the necessary qualifications to go forward in the field.“We have people who are First Degree holders; some have Masters, but not in Library Science.”She said that with just two “professionally trained” librarians currently operating at the UG library, its progress is retarded since, even with available funds, there would still be need for personnel with the “skill and vision” to push development plans and goals.“You have to understand the technicalities and uniqueness of librarianship to be able to push some of the projects,” she said. “You must be trained in the area to understand the technicalities of the area.”The Librarian made mention of the goal of digitising collections that fall within copyright limitations for the benefit of those who have no access to the physical library. However, since equipment, and staff with the skill to do it, are lacking; the goal remains distant.Even though there is an interest in running courses in the field, teachers of the subject are not available. The Librarian said that an educator with at least a Masters Degree in Library Science would be required to teach the courses.She added that the current Vice Chancellor of UG, Jacob Opadeyi, is embarking on the task of collaborating with other universities in having an online course in Library Science done, so as to recruit new librarians.Despite the challenges, however, George reported that the library will continue to serve the university. She said that the UG library continues to operate as a depository for materials peculiar to Guyana and the Caribbean, which do not appear on the web.She added that although studies have shown a dip in the use of libraries with the current age of technology, one should not regard that fact as an indication that libraries are no longer used. In fact, she stressed that libraries can never become obsolete for the simple reason that everything cannot be uploaded onto the World Wide Web.“Even though usage would tip, libraries are still be used in other areas and they are going into other fields.”George informed that the UG library has now tilted their services towards the age of technology by offering ‘commons’, which are spaces with computers which afford students the opportunity to study on campus.Also, having started the process of uploading catalogues online, the library has received international recognition, as calls are being received from individuals around the globe for copies of literature that are present online.
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