Developing your Library Association
8 August 2012
Léonie Boerkamp and Astrid Britten,
Board members of the Dutch Caribbean Library Association

History of Aruba I

History of Aruba II
 Located in the southern Caribbean
 100.000 inhabitants, 96 different nationalities
 Various ancestries: Caquetio Indian, African
and European roots
 Tourism is the main pillar of the economy
 Spoken languages: Dutch, Papiamento,
English and Spanish
 Since 1986 an autonomous country within the
Dutch kingdom (Status Aparte)

Status Aparte and the Aruba
National Library
 August 20, 1949: Opening of Aruba’s first
public library
 Opening occurred later than in the rest of the
Antilles
 March 3, 1986: “Biblioteca Publico Aruba”
renamed as “Biblioteca Nacional Aruba”

Library University of Aruba
 Opened in 1988
 Books, journals and publications from different
fields:
 Law
 Economics and Finance
 Hospitality and Tourism Management
 Arts and Sciences

Dutch Caribbean Library
Association (DCLA)
 Dutch Caribbean Libraries is a growing
network of libraries and information
professionals on the six islands of the Dutch
Caribbean and Surinam
 “Resolution of the Cola Creek”
 Fourth seminar of DCLA was held in
Paramaribo, Surinam

Caribbean flavor

Marketing

First Face-to-face
Boardmeeting

Our goals
 To promote the use of the libraries and
information centers by building on the strategic
capacity of the libraries in the Dutch
Caribbean;
 To develop professional skills. To transform
the profile and standing of the profession;
 To protect, preserve and document written
and printed cultural heritage.
 The association goals are carried by national,
public, special collection and university
libraries from private and the government

Our challenges
 Achievement to reach commitment for
cooperation is an important milestone in for
libraries and information services sector;
 Enhances the accessibility to information
between libraries in the Dutch Caribbean. Also
in between the local and international
community;

Our opportunities
 Continuing developing our library association;
 Partnership
 External communications;
 Advocacy for libraries

Our joint projects
 Shared library automation program “ABCD”;
 Digitalization of our cultural heritage;
 Professional development;
 Promotion of the libraries in the Dutch
Caribbean;
 The library and the information institutions of
the Dutch Caribbean can play a key role as
institution for investigations about our colonial
past;

Organizations involved
 DCLA has reached partnership with Dutch
institutions such as Koninklijk Instituut voor de
Tropen (Royal Tropical Institute) and the
Koninklijk Instituut voor Talen- Land en
Volkenkunde (KITLV);
 NVB;
 FOBID-Netherlands Library Forum;
 Future partners:
 IFLA
 ACURIL

Key benefits
 Information literacy and working cooperatively
on awareness and professional development
 Joint marketing of our libraries
 Continuing in developing of our association
 Improving our infrastructure for cooperation
 Share knowledge in the area of digitalization,
ICT and negotiations with publishers

Questions?

Food for thought
 Statement: Information literacy and
digitalization: key elements for a sustainable
society.
 Question: How can stakeholders (education,
policy makers, ICT) explore new perspectives
for cooperation?

The end
 Masha danki
 Thank you
 Bedankt