Writer donates children's book to Nalis

The National Library and Information Services (Nalis) in Port of Spain has received six copies of The Caribbean and Me by author Kyana Bowen.The handing-over ceremony took place at the children’s section of the library.

The Caribbean and Me is an alphabet book meant to get children as young as four to appreciate food, places and cultures of the Caribbean.

Bowen launched her book in September and wanted to ensure that any child can access her books at the library.

“I believe this donation to the library will enhance the material that is available to children, not only to TT but across the Caribbean,” Bowen told Newsday.

She hopes the book will expose children to the facts and traditions of Caribbean culture that they do not often see in international media.

Paula Greene, acting executive director of Nalis, thanked Bowen for her contribution, and said her book was not just for the public library, but for the Heritage Library, which stores all Caribbean books for posterity.

Greene wanted the public to know that Nalis and all public libraries across the country have been open for service since October 14.

The libraries are operating at 50 per cent capacity, masks must be worn and sanitisation and temperature checks must be done before entry. In the public library, people are allowed an hour to browse the shelves.

Readers can call in for a selection they want and the library's staff will source it for pick-up.

For the Heritage Library an appointment must be made before anyone comes in to sit. They are allowed two and a half hours, but if the library has only one appointment that day, the user would be allowed to sit longer.

Jasmin Simmons, director of public library services said Nalis also has a wide e-resource for people who cannot make it into the building. With their library cards, members have access to EBSCOhost, OverDrive and Flipster.

Simmons said these e-resources allow Nalis members to access more recent content but because of copyright, there are not many Caribbean writers available in the online content.