The Editor, Sir:

About three weeks ago, instead of going to the university library, I opted for a change of scenery and decided, for the first time, to go to the public library on Tom Redcam Avenue to study. The word 'public' is included in the title of the library, which not only suggests that tax dollars are being used for the facility, but it also suggests that in a country with a high illiteracy rate such as Jamaica's citizens are being encouraged to partake in the benefits of the facility and make best use of this educational resource. To this end, I saw signs on the walls around the information booth that suggested that reading is fun and education is the key to success. Apparently, those signs were the last remnants of the open invitation I was to receive. Let me elaborate.

counterproductive

On entering the reading room, I was greeted by numerous signs that indicated that plugging in any electrical charger in the outlets was forbidden. This struck me as counterproductive, since the popular and often preferred methods of learning in this 'information age' are done through electrical gadgets whether they be laptops, Ipods or even cellphones. So, am I to understand that things have gotten so bad that we are unable to fund an electricity bill in a public library situated in the capital of our country?

After a short time, I gave up on using my laptop, since the battery was dying, and decided to use the library's computer lab, only to be stopped by the security guard, who adamantly reminded me that no bags were to be carried upstairs to the computer labs, not even the bags that contained the nearly 20 pounds of study material that I brought or the bag with my laptop. At this point, I just about gave up and decided to leave, however, once again, I pushed my personal sense of rationality aside and acquiesced. Eventually, I made my way up the stairs carrying the eight large textbooks I brought from home and a folder containing 13 articles.

I entered the section that was the computer lab and noticed that there were only about 8 computers, which were all taken, as expected, so I decided to sit and do some reading while I waited. To my dismay and utter disbelief two library attendants came over to me and informed me that no textbooks or folders were allowed in that section of the library, only exercise books were allowed.

full day of studying

Is there any student past the basic school level with the ability to go to a library for a full day of studying, carrying a mere exercise book? And, furthermore, the textbooks had the names of my university stamped all over them, giving clear indication that they did not belong to the library.

At this point, I decided to leave. It occurred to me that everything was being done to ensure that I could not study! It seemed that policies were set in place to make sure that anyone serious about studying, or hungry for a quest for knowledge and information, go elsewhere.

So, now I am left wondering why bother have a public library that seems to intentionally go out of its way to discourage the public from using it. Something has to be done about these ludicrous policies of the public library. If this was my experience at the Kingston and St Andrew public library, I cringe to even fathom what conditions are like at the others. Unless the conditions change, many persons, such as myself, will remain discouraged from using the public libraries and our visions of having a higher educated and intellectual citizenry will remain a fantasy.

I am, etc.,

NADJA JOHNSON

njohns38@fau.edu

Via Go-Jamaica