NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (February 15, 2021) — The Nevis Public Library is hosting a “Book Tasting” starting February 15, 2021, an activity intended to mark Black History Month.
Speaking with the Department of Information on February 15, Mrs. Anatasia Parris-Morton, Chief Librarian at the Nevis Public Library, said the “Book Tasting” is the latest of the initiatives the institution has employed to commemorate Black History Month.
“Over the years the Nevis Public Library has celebrated Black History Month in various ways. We’ve had movie nights, we’ve had exhibitions, we’ve had cultural presentations. This year we decided to do something a little different…
“The public is asked to visit the library during this week, February 15 to 20, during normal working hours 9 a.m to 5 p.m. You are asked to select a book from those that are presented on the tables that are laid out, and look at the cover of the book, read the summary at the back of the book, and then further read two to three pages of the book.
“Once your interest is piqued, we ask you to use the menus that are provided, and write down those books, the titles, the author, the classification number on your menu, as many as you would like to. Then after this week you are given the opportunity to reserve these books on our Online Access Public Catalogue (OPAC), or you can visit the library or call to borrow these books,” she explained.
The Chief Librarian said there are several objectives behind the initiative. The staff wanted persons to become familiar with the new location on Market Street opposite the Charlestown Public Market in Charlestown; to encourage people to expand their reading taste; and for persons to become accustomed to using the Online Public Access Catalogue.
Several categories of local, regional and international books are available for selection, including fiction, nonfiction, and biographies about black persons.
“So for your nibbling pleasure we have a few categories of books…There’s one particular book I’d like to suggest to the public. It’s about a gentleman who left Nevis many years ago who originated from Brown Hill, and he went on to New York and became the first black person in the New York Legislature.
“So the general public is invited to visit us and take a little nibble and decide which books you would like to fully devour,” she said.
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