The College of The Bahamas, officially launched on Monday, “COBWEB” the tertiary institution’s first-ever library website. The colourful site with its many links, will allow the general public to electronically access the library.
Mrs. Betty Gibb, Acquisitions Librarian and Webmaster, told guests at the launch ceremony at COB’s Oakes Field campus, that the web page, though not without imperfections, facilitates the access to much more through the links embedded in it. She noted that it is hoped that the web page can serve as a catalyst to foster greater cooperative ventures among libraries in The Bahamas.
“With COB’s catalogue being accessible on-line, and others soon to be as well, the facilitation of information delivery to the Bahamian public, will be easier and faster,” she said.
President of the College, Dr. Leon Higgs, dubbed the launch of the website as a very “special” occasion for the College. He noted that a library information system is crucial to the College as it develops into a university.
“It is important because our students need the information that is in the library and faculty and the Bahamian public as a whole need the information that we have in our library. Having this library information system, whereby we can use technology to acquire the information, is an important step for The College of The Bahamas,” he said.
The COB president also noted that he is very proud of the event, as there is information in the library that people do not use, as they do not know that it exists, or is difficult to find.
“Now with the new system and browsing through it, it makes it that much easier for individuals to browse through and see what our library has, which would also encourage greater usage of the facilities here at the library,” he said, adding that the College is “proud” of the work that is being done by the library staff.
“You are continuing to stay on the cutting edge. A couple of years ago, we introduced the Voyager system, now today, we are introducing COBWEB to the institution and so, here is an area that is growing because there is a demand for this type of service in the community,” he said.
The launch of the web page was held under the umbrella of events under COB’s Libraries and Instructional Media Services Department (LIMS) week, slated for January 26-31. Held under the theme “Uncovering Hidden Treasures of the COB Libraries,” the library will also hold open houses and conduct a media workshop.
LIMS Director, Ms. Willamae Johnson, said the objectives of LIMS week are two-fold. She stated that the week is intended to showcase the obscure “treasures” of the department, including its materials, services and staff to the community. She also noted that through the open houses, it is hoped that young people will become interested in the exciting and constantly evolving field of library and information work.
“Library and information work is even more crucial today than it was before. With the increase in production of information, librarians become intermediaries to help decipher, interpret and evaluate information to make diverse and rich information resources easily accessible to information seekers. Librarianship is a fulfilling and dynamic career that provides opportunities for continuous personal and professional growth and learning. The stereotypical image of the past has been completely erased,” she said.
Throughout LIMS week, a number of displays will highlight the collections available at the main and branch libraries, including: The Bahamian collection, Caribbean dissertations, documents from the United Nations, Pan American Health Organization, World Health Organization.
Faculty, staff and students will receive hands-on instruction on how to use the new electronic database, EBSCO host.
The College is in the midst of a fund-raising campaign to build and maintain a state-of-the-art library.
Among its current holdings, are 75,000 volumes, including books, microfilms, audiovisual software and an especially strong periodical collection in print, online, on microfilms and in CD-ROM formats.
By Tamara McKenzie, The Nassau Guardian
