ACURIL Executive Committee Visits   Juan Bosch Library

Santo Domingo, June 7, 2018 – Former Dominican President Leonel Fernández met with the executive committee of the Association of University, Research and Institutional Libraries of the Caribbean (ACURIL) which is meeting in Santo Domingo to celebrate its 48^th Conference.  During the meeting, held at the Juan Bosch Library, President Fernández stated that the opening of more libraries could help strengthen reading habits among students.

During the open discussion, the president of the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development (Funglode) discussed the role played by libraries with the visiting members of ACURIL’s executive committee. This year’s conference is titled “Open Access to Libraries, Archives and Museums in the Caribbean:  Opportunities, Challenges and Future Goals.”

Dr. Fernández, accompanied by Aida Montero, director of the Juan Bosch Library and member of the Conference’s organizing committee, greeted the visiting members upon their arrival at the Library.

During the open dialogue Fernández lamented that students are no longer encouraged to fall in love with the art of reading.  In this context, he stated that libraries can play a fundamental role in encouraging students to read.  He also explained that strengthening good reading practices cannot be carried out on an individual basis, but must be a result of a collective process because “one always learns through sharing, and not alone.” He also added that a possible strategy could be the creation of “student reading circles.”

Dr.  Fernández expressed how pleased he was that the ACURIL Conference chose Santo Domingo as the venue for its event, and added that libraries are important to local culture and education.

Luisa Vigo, ACURIL’s Executive Secretary, headed the delegation that visited the Library which consisted of library directors and researchers from various Caribbean nations. The Association of Dominican University Libraries (ABUD) and the Dominican Association of University Deans (ADRU) participated in the event.

Before the meeting with former President Fernández, Montero gave the visitors a guided tour through the five-floor library building and showed them the various collections that are available to the general public.

ACURIL 2018 brings together professionals that work with the information and research sectors interested in studying the multiple issues characteristic of the Caribbean region. During the conference participants will discuss, among other issues: the multi-disciplinary aspects related to library research, archives and museums in the Caribbean; research in such areas as sociology, economics and politics in the Caribbean; research related to the Environment, Architecture and Health in the Caribbean. Finally, Libraries, Archives and Museums of the Caribbean in the digital era.