Dear Editor,

I write in response to a letter titled ‘How to breathe life into a dying parish library’, published in the Jamaica Observer on August 24.

As a teenager, the St James Parish Library was my favourite haunt. After school at Clarendon College (CC) I would spend time reading the latest magazines and selecting books. I had a favourite window that looked out at the sea, which was actually a stone’s throw from the back of the library.

The librarians were friendly and helpful to students as well as to regular readers. During the summer holidays the library would mail books to me at Anchovy. I would read some and return them cost free to the library.

The lawn was immaculate, with flowers growing in well-cared plots. Parking was available. Now, after the land reclamation, the view from the library is the back of buildings like KFC, the beautiful view of the bay is now gone.

The second city needs a new library with adequate resources to further the education of students of the many schools in the city as well as the entire parish of St James. The present structure is ancient, small, and claustrophobic. The ceiling is too low. The new building should be larger, with space for study and research. There should be meeting rooms for small conferences and even lectures. As Yanique Pessoa, the author of that letter pointed out, computers should be available.

The new library should be constructed at the same site, with underground parking. The lawn should remain and be kept in shape with a variety of local horticultural specimens reflecting the flora of Jamaica. I am sure tourists would be attracted to the site.

The powers that be should provide the citizens of St James, including the many students studying at the various institutions, with a state-of-the-art library to support the upgrade of cultural and educational amenities of the parish, which is home to Jamaica’s second city.

Louis A Hemans