The Gambia National Library

The Gambia National Library Service Authority is located in Banjul, Gambia.[1] The library was originally operated by the British Council till 1946 and was renamed to the National Library of The Gambia by 1971. The library is maintained and administered by The Gambia National Library Services Authority (GNLSA). As of 2016, the library had a collection of 115,500 books and 85 periodicals. It had more than 42 staff and more than 276 members.

The Gambia National Library Service Authority
13.459591°N 16.584989°W / 13.459591; -16.584989
LocationBanjul, The Gambia
TypeNational and Public Library
Established1971 (originally 1946)
Branches2
Collection
Size115,500
Access and use
Circulation85
Members276+
Other information
DirectorBakary Sanyang
Employees32+
Websitehttp://www.gnlsa.gov.gm

The library was also made the official recorder of legal depository and principal Bibliographic Centre of the nation. Around 2,000 archived material are stored in the library, which caters mainly to The Gambia and its history. The library offers an adult library, children's library, bulk school lending service, mobile and mailbox service.

History

Library services started in the Gambia in 1944, with Bishop Daly’s subscription library which was opened to a few members of the public. Later on, the British Council opened a Library in 1946 at Independence Drive (current location of the National Museum – the National Centre for Arts and Culture). The British Council handed over the Library to the Gambia Government, and the present library structure was opened on 15 December 1976, by former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara. When the transfer took place, the library had a collection of 25,000 books and 500 monographs.[2] Sally Njie was appointed Chief Librarian in 1963.[3] The British Government donated £575,000 to The Gambia for maintaining the library in 1974. The library is maintained and administered by The Gambia National Library Services Authority (GNLSA). During the 1970s, the collections in the library was nearly doubled.[2] The Gambia Library Services Authority was established in 2009 by an Act in the parliament, which gave more powers and autonomy to the library. Book Aid International is the overseas partner of the library, in collaboration with whom, the library donated books to the medical branch of University of Gambia. The library acquires all its collections through donations, gifts, purchases, government agencies and survey.[4]

According to the United Nations, as of 2013 an estimated 41 percent of adult Gambians are literate.[5]

Services

As of 2016, the library had a collection of 115,500 books and 85 periodicals. The library is located in Reg Pye Lane in the capital city of Banjul. The library has facilities for photocopying, school service and has ISBN service and access to UNESCO publications.[4] The library co-ordinates the library and information issues at the national level and can impose penalties for non-adherence. A branch of the library was opened in Brikama in Western Division in 1990.[6] The library was also made the official recorder of legal depository and principal Bibliographic Centre of the nation. Around 2,000 archived material are stored in the library, which caters mainly to The Gambia and its history. The library offers an adult library, children's library, bulk school lending service, mobile and mailbox service.[2] The library also stored major and historical maps of The Gambia and its towns, audio tapes and press cutting of major events in the history of the country.[7]


Director General

Mr. Bakary Sanyang was appointed as the Director General of the Gambia National Library Service Authority in 2022 after the expired of the three year contract of the former D.G. Mrs. Matilda Johnson.

See also

References
  1. List of Addresses of the Major Libraries in Africa (Archived 30 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine)
  2. Wedgeworth, Robert (1993). World Encyclopedia of Library and Information Services. American Library Association. pp. 311–2. ISBN 9780838906095.
  3. Mary A. Thornhill, Factors in library development in The Gambia, Master's Thesis, Loughborough University, 1983, p.80, 89, 131.
  4. "Library of The Gambia". National Libraries of Africa. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  5. "Adult literacy rate, population 15+ years (both sexes, female, male)". UIS.Stat. Montreal: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  6. "Gambia National Library Service". Access Gambia. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
  7. Janson, Marlies; Opitz, Helmut, eds. (2007). World Guide to Special Libraries, Volume 1. Walter de Gruyter. p. xxxiv. ISBN 9783110917857.
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