Publishers urged to deposit works with National Library
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A call has been made for Jamaica’s publishers and creative professionals to deposit their work with the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) to help preserve the country’s documentary heritage.
Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Minister Olivia Grange made the appeal in remarks delivered on her behalf by Senior Director at the National Gallery of Jamaica Dr Nadine Boothe-Gooden.
The appeal came during the NLJ’s annual Legal Deposit Day celebration at the ministry’s New Kingston offices on Sunday.
Grange said legal deposit ensures that publications and creative works produced in Jamaica become part of the national record, allowing future generations to explore the country’s history, identity, and development.
She noted that the system relies on cooperation among the Government, the NLJ, publishers, authors, producers, and the wider creative community. While legal deposit is a statutory requirement, she said its success depends on creators consistently submitting their work.
ENCOURAGED TO ENGAGE WITH LIBRARY
“For those who may not be fully participating in the legal deposit system, I encourage you to engage with the National Library of Jamaica, understand the requirements and make legal deposits a regular part of your publishing and production process,” Grange said.
She also praised the NLJ and its staff for collecting, preserving, and providing access to Jamaica’s documentary heritage, saying that their work helps safeguard the nation’s collective memory.
This year’s observance placed particular emphasis on engaging Jamaica’s creative industries, including film, music, literature, and digital media, and encouraging creators to incorporate legal deposit into their publishing and production routines.
Grange urged stakeholders to view legal deposit as an investment in Jamaica’s future, ensuring that generations to come can access the works and ideas that have helped shape the nation.
“Let us continue to create. Let us continue to document. Let us continue to deposit, and let us continue to preserve the Jamaican story for generations to come,” she said.