Letter of the Day | Can’t afford to treat libraries as optional

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Growing up in rural St Mary, the public libraries in Port Maria and Highgate were vibrant, essential spaces in the lives of children like myself. After school and on weekends, those buildings came alive, serving as community hubs where students gathered to do assignments, conduct research, and access reading material that we would not have had otherwise. Those libraries played a critical role in our academic development, social learning, and sense of belonging. At that time, there were few smartphones and no AI to assist us in our thinking. The rustle of newspaper pages, the thumbing through encyclopedias, the cautious whisper of a shy student asking for help, this was learning in its purest form. The library didn’t just provide us with information. It gave us access, dignity, and a sense of place.

Today, however, The Gleaner article ‘Struggling System’, published on July 20, highlights that our once-thriving library system is fighting for relevance and survival. This decline is more than unfortunate; it is dangerous. But what happens to a country when the places that once anchored our development fall into decay? The piece rightly points to broken AC units, outdated collections, low staff morale, and dwindling foot traffic. But those are only symptoms. The real crisis is that we have stopped believing in public good.

While we acknowledge that digital technology has transformed how we access information, we must also recognise a simple truth not all Jamaican students have equal access to digital devices or internet connectivity. The assumption that every child has a smartphone, laptop, or WiFi at home is dangerously disconnected from the reality on the ground, particularly in rural and underserved communities.

Libraries continue to be an essential infrastructure for promoting equitable education. Yet we underfund them, neglect them, and pretend that putting books online is a solution for a nation where many still can’t afford a stable internet connection. This is policy negligence masquerading as modernisation.

What is needed is not another report gathering dust in a Ministry drawer, but a ‘library revival plan’. One that invests in technology without erasing the soul of the space. One that reimagines libraries not just as book repositories but as community knowledge centres places for innovation labs, homework help, adult literacy, mental wellness, and digital inclusion.

Jamaica cannot afford to treat libraries as optional when they are, in truth, the last remaining commons. In a society growing more fragmented and economically polarised, we need more spaces that don’t demand purchase for participation.

As we strive for national development and social transformation, let us remember an educated nation is an empowered nation, and libraries are vital to that cause.

CIVANNA COTTERELL