AFTER being shuttered for more than six years, the Monymusk Branch Library that serves the communities of Gayle, Alley and surrounding areas in Clarendon, was officially reopened to the public on Friday.

The reopening was financed by a grant valued at over $8.6 million from the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries/Sugar Transformation Unit, courtesy of the European Union.

“The Jamaica Library Service (JLS) is pleased to reopen the Monymusk Branch Library to offer library and information services to the community and its nearby environs,” the JLS said in a release, adding that the new facility brings to 10 the number of branch libraries in the Clarendon region.

The Monymusk library will not only provide library and information services, the JLS explained. It will also provide free access to computers, the Internet and Information Communication and Technology (ICT) training, while serving as a hub for a number of community activities.

The Monymusk Branch Library began at the Monymusk Factory Club as a book centre in 1954. Service was suspended in 1960, but was restarted in 1962 at the Monymusk Estate tower building. There, it was upgraded to part-time Branch Library status.

“Over the years the condition of the building deteriorated and attempts were made by various stakeholders to improve the library’s appearance and preserve its historical importance, but that did little to alleviate the problem resulting in the library’s closure in December 2008,” the JLS said.

The closure meant residents of Gayle/Alley and its environs had to travel to Lionel Town to access library services.

Director General of JLS Karen Barton has hailed the project as an indication of the ‘success that can be achieved with the cooperation of various stakeholder groups’.