April 13 to 19 is designated ‘National Library Week’

Government officials, library council representatives, and Gov. Eloy S. Inos join together for the signing of the “National Library Week” proclamation at Joeten Kiyu Public Library last Friday, April 11, 2014 in Susupe. (Jayson Camacho)

Gov. Eloy S. Inos declared a weeklong celebration for the CNMI State Library System on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota during a proclamation signing Friday at the Joeten Kiyu Public Library in Susupe. National Library Week will be celebrated from April 13 to 19, highlighting the value of libraries, library workers, librarians, and library volunteers. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Lives Change at Your Library.”

The proclamation signing was attended by various partnering organizations, including the Ayuda Network and the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, government officials, and staff from Rota and Tinian.

JKPL executive director John O. Gonzales said the NMI State Library System would be hosting educational programs and activities, using both physical and online resources, as part of the celebration.

Soledad Tenorio of the CNMI Library Council said that despite the public library’s tight budget, it continues to inspire by shaping and touching the lives of the community.

“Whether you are young or old, National Library Week is the perfect time to become more involved in your local library and, in supporting the gift of reading, you can open many doors and possibilities of learning new things,” Tenorio said.

Inos hopes the community will take advantage of the library’s resources and its staff, volunteers, management, and partners and continue to make the public library a success.

Gonzales said that the Joeten Kiyu Public Library has become a “crown jewel for Micronesia at large” because “we have been featured nationally.”

“It is the ideal public resource for research and homework assistance. If you have a project, you can find it in the library. We specialize in information literacy, information access and retrieval, information organization, and the creation of new information using higher order thinking skills,” Gonzales said.

JKPL technical services librarian Rosalyn Ajoste thanked staff, patrons, government agencies, government officials, and Inos for showing their support for the public library.

“A library is a special thing in a community. It’s an anchor institution that promotes literacy and access, especially to those who are underserved,” she said.

National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association and libraries across the country each April and was first sponsored in 1958.

For more information, visit the public library on Saipan or call 235-7323, on Rota call 532-7328/29, and on Tinian call 433-0504/05 or visit the state library’s website at www.marianaslibrary.org.

JKPL is open from 10am to 6pm from Mondays to Fridays and on Saturdays it is open from 9am to 4pm.