Library Services Unit

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Mrs. Hazel Hazzard-Samuda, Acting Librarian IV, is the Head of Library Services.

The Library provides an efficient on-line networked information service in support of the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Planning and Development, the Ministry of Finance and other Government Departments in the Eric Williams Finance Building.

The collection comprises over 80,000 documents and 400 periodicals covering a wide range of subjects including development planning, project planning, town and country planning, economics, finance, budgeting, industrial development and management and sociology. It is the sole resource for certain types of documentation, e.g., feasibility studies, commissioned reports and loan agreements.

Services include an on-line catalogue on a network, loans, reference, research and Internet searches. E-mail facilitates requests and document delivery. Bibliographic services are available on line for users.

Core Functions

• Provide clients with timely, accurate information and developing products and services to satisfy client needs;
   
• Serve as a depository for loan contracts and other documentation arising from this country’s membership in The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the IDB, CDB, and other international organizations and carrying out the responsibilities associated with the designation;
   
• Maintain the databases of social science documentation relating primarily to Trinidad and Tobago and to the Caribbean, that are housed in the Ministry;
   
• Contribute to the development of a union catalogue of library holdings - a project initiated by the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS).

Achievements

The accomplishments of the Library Services Unit are as follows:
Objective 1:

• Rationalised internal workflow in the areas of correspondence and internal communication
   
• Restructued query form to reflect user patterns and use of collection

Objective 2:

• 70% of the library’s staff was trained in manipulation of information technology and techniques of time management and leadership

Objective 4:

• Re-introduced Contents Pages
   
• Re-introduced Recent Acquisitions notification
   
• Introduced Orders Form
   
• Designed Original Documents Deposit Policy document

I wish to report also that we accomplished 75% of our objectives for the year.

We were unable to complete objective 3:

Improve access to library’s collection. The planned strategy was to introduce selected library services on the Ministry’s intranet. We began the exercise, but were unable to fully complete it due to the departure of the staff member assigned to the task.