By Arret Jatta
The Gambia National Library on Tuesday 30th April,inaugurated its digital library center for students so that they can be more interested in reading in this digital age.
Amran Gaye the brain behind the project said the library showed him the world and made him a citizen of the world.
“A common thing that people say is that Gambians don’t read in fact I’ve heard a joke that whenever there is strife in the country the safest place to be in is a library or a book shop because no one goes there, we all think of library as a dusty place with old books and no one comes there except to cram for exams but that’s because we are looking at it the wrong way, because the only thing that matters is information right now in this digital age, and you see a country that takes information seriously, they are prosperous”, he stated.
He further said that the library gave him a lot of opportunities and he managed to get out of Gambia, got a scholarship, and got a computer science degree and all these achievements is thanks to the library and how he made use of it.
“I wanted to give that opportunity for a new generation that is digital native and a generation that lives on their devices”, he added.
He also said that they intend to include the older citizens in the program this will help them to be more literate with technology, they have also provided a visually impaired station for the visually impaired people to also benefit from this new age of technology and some of this program will be taken to the juvenile wing so that the young prisoners can benefit as well.
The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education Hon. Kaddijatou Sy who graced the occasion said libraries have long been the cornerstone of education and research, serving as gateways to a vast treasure trove of knowledge and culture.
“With the establishment of this state-of-the-art digital center, we are not merely embracing change, but also reaffirming our commitment to making information more accessible and inclusive for all,” she said.
She added that in this digital era, where information is constantly evolving and expanding at an unprecedented rate, the National Library Digital Center stands as a beacon of digital literacy and empowerment.