New handovers to the National Library

Two of the most recent handovers to the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) were the Q Awards by Anthony ‘Chips’ Richards, a past executive manager of the larger-than-life Trojan Records, and newspaper clippings and magazines by Kingsley Goodison, concerning the annual Tribute to The Greats dance and awards show.

The Q Awards, which are presented annually by Q Magazine to outstanding entities and/or individuals for distinguished services to music, was conferred on Trojan Records on October 17, 2018, for their 50 years of outstanding contribution to recording, promotion, marketing and distribution of Jamaican recordings in Europe.

Trojan’s surviving representative, Richards, who received the award on behalf of the recording entity, saw it fit to donate it to the NLJ for safekeeping and showcasing. In a ceremony held at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel, the minister in charge of culture and entertainment, Olivia Grange, accepted the award on behalf of the Jamaican Government, and she, in turn, handed it over to the library.

More recently, Kingsley Goodison swelled the coffers of the library’s collection with donations of magazines and articles concerning Tribute to The Greats awards show and dance.

The National Library’s chief librarian, Beverley Lashley, said, “We are most grateful to Kingsley for his donations, and for his sharing with us valuable information on some of Jamaica’s musical pioneers and the development of the local music industry over the years.”

Goodison said that over the years, he has been collecting newspaper articles about the event, and the entity has also produced four magazines with information on the stalwarts in the business. “The representative from the library heard about what we were doing, was impressed, and asked us to bring them in. We did and everyone is happier today,” he disclosed.

At the Q Awards, the chief librarian emphasised the importance of archiving and preserving the country’s musical legacy: “Our people need to recognise that archiving is a gift from one generation to the next, and the only way we can know about our ancestors is if the information is documented,” she said.