On Monday September 8, 1969 (known as Changeover Day) Jamaica saw the introduction of five (5) coins that truly marked the beginning of Jamaican currency/coinage. After 149 years (1840) of using the currency of the United Kingdom, the island was finally getting ‘its...
It's Summer! This is a time to unwind and get some much needed rest and relaxation. Whether you're spending your holidays at the beach, in the country, overseas, or just enjoying a relaxing 'stay-cation', you'll want to keep these #SummerReads close at hand....
Jamaican poet, Ishion Hutchinson has been nominated for the 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry. This nomination is for his second and latest collection, House of Lords and Commons; published last year by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Hutchinson is among...
In celebration of the birthday of Tom Redcam - 147 years ago today - we remember the legacy of Jamaica's first Poet Laureate. J.E.Clare McFarlane once wrote that 'any consideration of the poetry of Jamaica must, of necessity, begin with Tom Redcam'. Thomas...
Statement on the death of Sir Derek Walcott by Mrs. Winsome Hudson, National Librarian and CEO of the National Library of Jamaica So Derek Walcott, the poet is dead. But, Derek Walcott was not just any poet; he was the poet who unconditionally loved the people...
Handpicked by National Library of Jamaica staff, these books are sure to grab your attention and maybe even teach you something you didn’t know before. All our #SummerReads are available in the book collection at the NLJ. Let us know what you think! The...
On September 15, 2017, the Poet Laureate of Jamaica, Lorna Goodison, delivered the Nadine Gordimer Memorial Lecture at the 5th African Women International Writer's Symposium in Johannesburg, South Africa. During the symposium, Goodison also gave poetry...
In this season of love, we’re taking a look at 10 of Jamaica’s most captivating love stories. These stories of triumphant love gripped the nation and became indelibly entwined in the country’s social history and lore.
The National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) proudly announces the digital release of a scientific treasure: “Study on the Biology of the Beach Clam, Donax (Bivalvia, Donacidae) in the West Indies” by renowned researcher Barry Wade (June 1965). For the first time, this...