National Library to be operational soon   |07 September 2023

The renovated National Library

• Purchase of books and refurbishment still underway

Extra efforts are being put to open the renovated National Library as soon as possible, said the Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts.

In an update on the status of the National Library, which was officially opened in June this year, Seychelles National Institute for Culture, Heritage and the Arts (Snicha) permanent secretary, Cecile Kalebi said they were on the right track with the purchasing of books and the construction company, Green Island Construction Company, is putting the final touches to the building, as well as installing shelves.

“We have nearly completed the furnishing of the building and already our staff who were occupying other offices such as Maison Esplanade are moving out and slowly moving into the new library,” she explained.

With regard to books, Ms Kalebi said a lot is needed for the place and so far they have purchased a huge amount from the world’s biggest floating book fair, Logos Hope, while it was on a one-week stop in Seychelles port, in August.

“We need a lot of books and we had appealed to individuals and companies to meet us halfway and donate some as well. We are in discussion with a lot of companies already. So far we have a lot of children’s books that we purchased from Logos Hope but we still need a lot more including reference books,” she explained.

So far the majority of books are in English, according to her and they are seeking books in French and Creole. She has once again appealed to anyone who can sponsor to come forward.

The newly-renovated national library was officially opened in late June this year as part of activities for the Independence Day celebrations and it was announced back then that it would be fully operational by November this year, considering the amount of setting up required.

“We are on the right track and we are putting extra efforts to ensure it is in operations as soon as possible.”, stated PS Kalebi.

The National Library which was initially opened back in 1994 was closed down in 2018 following widespread fungus infestation. Extensive renovation work started in early 2022 and lasted 17 months until its official opening. The project has cost R89.4 million.

Patsy Canaya