National Library Of Jamaica
The National Library of Jamaica was established in 1979 under the Institute of Jamaica Act of 1978. It originated from the collection of the West India Reference Library (WIRL) which was founded in 1894 as a section of the Public Library of the Institute of Jamaica. This public library was the first of its kind in Jamaica.
The National Library of Jamaica is Jamaica's premier library for fostering and promoting the nation's knowledge of its history, heritage and information sources. The mission of the National Library is to collect, preserve, and document and facilitate access to the nation's cultural heritage, through the promotion, coordination and development of a network of technologically enhanced libraries and services.
The main objectives of the Acquisitions Department are to acquire:
All material (print, non-print and electronic) published, issued or produced in Jamaica;
Items published or produced by Jamaicans living abroad; and
Items published or produced abroad about Jamaica or Jamaicans.
The Acquisitions Department also has the responsibility for the administration of the International Standard Book Number (ISBN) programme and the management of the Legal Deposit System.
Aims to identify, collect, provide access, preserve and maintain the social, cultural and market value of the nation’s heritage of sound and moving images resources.
Research and Information Department
Receives and processes all requests for information from clients/users of the library. Research is carried out for local and overseas users.
Special Collections & Conservation
Responsible for the preservation and conservation of the library's irreplaceable collections as well as for the management of these items (Manuscripts, microfilms, maps, newspapers, prints).
Information Network Systems Department
Responsible for the design, implementation and maintenance of the library's databases, Local Area Network and the coordination and development of a computer based information network of libraries. Provides consultancy services related to CDS/ISIS.
The Cataloguing Department is charged with the responsibility of executing the following tasks:
Organizing the collections of the National Library of Jamaica through cataloguing and classifying the print, non-print and online resources to facilitate speedy and effective retrieval and ensuring the accuracy, and completeness of the Online and Card Catalogues.
Publishing the Jamaica National Bibliography.
Providing Cataloguing-In-Publication (CIP) data as requested by publishers.
Assignment of the International Standard Number(s) (ISSN) to periodicals/magazine publishers.