By Fatou Dahaba
On Tuesday, 30 April 2024, the Gambia National Library launched a new digital center with backing from the Friends of the Gambia National Library. The center is designed to foster students’ critical thinking abilities, ignite creativity, encourage responsible digital citizenship, and enable comprehensive participation in digital learning.
The center, set up by the ‘Friends of the Gambia National Library, ‘will provide daily after-school activities, coding classes, free WiFi for the community, career guidance and job workshops, senior citizen tech education, and information services for the visually impaired.
The initiative aimed to enable individuals to access information, collaborate globally, and communicate more effectively, bridging geographic and cultural gaps.
Highlighting the initiative’s significance, The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Hon. Haddy Jatou Sey, said the digital center will leap into the digital age of information access and dissemination.
“Libraries have long been the cornerstone of education and research, as a gateway to a vast tenure trove of knowledge and culture. By establishing 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,’ the Education Minister said at the inauguration of the new digital center.
She added, “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. We aim to bridge the gap between the past and the future through cutting-edge technology and innovative practices, ensuring our rich literacy heritage is preserved for future generations.”
Bakary Sanyang, Director General of the National Library, commended his office for going digital, noting that it will help them explore new students and bring them together.
He said their transition from information to digital literacy will provide a source of living and a future for living and is a testament to their thinking in the future.
“ICT and library are important; there’s a lot of revolution in the ICT industry, and the library cannot be left alone, so the rest of the occasion is a testament to collaboration and partnership, and we will do more of that to bring more opportunities for the library.”
Digital literacy enables effective communication through these platforms, ensuring individuals can connect with others, share ideas, and maintain relationships, even when physical distances separate them. Digital literacy empowers individuals to create and share their ideas, stories, and content with the world.
