Establishment of Belize National Library and Public Library Service

(1) There shall be established two units of the Service, known respectively as the Belize National Library Service and the Public Library Service. 12 (2) The key mission of the National Library shall be to, (a) contribute to socio-economic development by collecting, recording, preserving and making available the national documentary heritage, and by facilitating access to information resources; (b) act as the legal depository body that collects the nation’s output of information; (c) provide a comprehensive reference stock with study areas for research; (d) provide information services based on effective retrieval systems; (e) provide and maintain a national bibliographic service by compiling accurate catalogues and the production of a national bibliography; (f) acquire representative collections of international publications, especially those with close ethnic, cultural, historical and regional influences; (g) promote and maintain the use of current technology for information access, scholarly, professional and business communication and efficiency; (h) provide reference and information services nationally and internationally; (i) make resources available whilst taking appropriate measures to conserve such resources for posterity; 13 (j) be the central depository of the documentary resources, bibliographical and non- bibliographical, of Belize and about Belize, as a paramount repository of information for research on Belize; (k) provide library services to the Government of Belize and its agencies; (l) establish an office for the purpose of assigning International Standard Book Numbers and International Standard Serial Numbers. (3) The Public Library Service shall be responsible for, (a) operating a network of free community libraries containing materials for reference and educational, cultural and recreational use; (b) promoting literacy at all levels; (c) providing democratic access to local, national and international information resources; (d) providing study areas for self-learning and the acquisition of knowledge; (e) supporting institutions of education and learning, particularly those without their own resources; (f) providing appropriate extension activities for disadvantaged sectors such as the infirm, persons with disabilities, the poor or young, or persons in hospitals and prisons; 14 (g) establishing and maintaining a union catalogue; and (h) advising, if called upon, small organizations such as schools in setting up libraries.