The Quest to Make Saint Lucians Readers of Books

Cynthia McFarlane has been the director of Library Services in Saint Lucia since 2014. From her office on the Castries Central Library’s top floor she explained to this reporter the National Association of Libraries and Information Professionals (NALIP) activities for this year’s Reading Awareness Month.

The event most emphasized by her was yesterday’s Writing and Publishing Workshop, which she viewed as an initiative to change the Saint Lucian culture as it relates to reading and writing. McFarlane said: “We want people to develop an appreciation for writing; to sharpen their writing skills and get into the habit of sharing information. The library believes information is important and we need information in self-development and the development of societies.”

Of course, McFarlane believes that the art and skill of writing is grossly under-appreciated in Saint Lucia. “We don’t have many books by local authors. We just have a few on the island and our collection would grow if we had more people interested in writing,” she lamented.

Additionally: “I feel that more people should pursue a career in writing or a career in journalism. I don’t think enough Saint Lucians go in that direction and probably the reason is that they do not appreciate writing.” She said citizens should prioritize acquiring the skills required for sharing information. While McFarlane acknowledges that Saint Lucia “is not a reading society”, she says public libraries still have a steady influx of patrons.

However, the adult population seems more inclined to use only a few of the libraries’ services. “According to library statistics, more children read books than do the adults,” she said. “The adults come to the library but only to study; they come to use the computer and engage in social media but they hardly take reading materials out. They have a preference for electronic formats.”

McFarlane says librarians have recognized the challenge and so, to encourage more reading among the adult population, they have adopted a new strategy of service. “We would want to see a lot more persons patronizing so we’re going to computerize our functions, collections and services. We are using a library management system that will allow easy access to our services and materials, even our catalogue, through their device.”

The libraries are in the transitioning phase but a catalogue of titles available from public libraries is already accessible on the website slupl.edu.lc. As McFarlane tells it, public libraries are doing the best they can to operate with the budget provided by government. As for workshops, programmes and expanding services, most of that is achieved through outsourced funding. McFarlane understands the government’s responsibility to prioritize spending and investment, but she said, “You cannot measure returns just in terms of money. You have to look at what are the social effects and so on. More can be done.

The government should realize that the library is a very important resource for the country. Our main product is information.” With activities such as the Writing and Publishing Workshop, McFarlane hopes more Saint Lucians will focus on the importance of reading and utilize all the libraries’ services.