Tamara Brathwaite Librarian I Institute of International…图书管理员国际学院.pdfVIP

A PLACE FOR THE DISPLACED : A CONSIDERATION OF THE TYPES OF SERVICES CARIBBEAN LIBRARIES SHOULD PROVIDE TO REFUGEES Tamara Brathwaite Librarian I, Institute of International Relations The University of the West Indies (UWI), St Augustine Paper presented on the 31 May 2006 at the Association of Caribbean University Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL) XXXVI Conference, held at the Wyndham Resort, Aruba, May 28th- June 2nd 2006, theme “Information and Human Rights” Abstract Many libraries in the Caribbean may have considered amenities for short stay users… tourists, ∝ visitors and the odd researcher, but many may not have considered the plight of the stateless as a user group in Caribbean libraries. With the prevalence of disasters in the region – Hurricane Ivan as the most recent and devastating example – the impact of migratory workers that the CSME will bring and the impending issuance of national refugee laws in the region; it is but a matter of time before regional libraries become a refuge for the refugee. This paper will outline (1) current trends globally and regionally and suggest why it is important not to deny the human rights of this so far undocumented user group in the Caribbean and (2) ways in which refugees cab be accommodated by libraries. Now, more than ever, libraries in the region should consider the types of services that should be provided to refugees since current trends indicate that this user group will most likely expand and have an impact on library services in the not to distant future. Keywords CARIBBEAN AREA; LIBRARY SERVICES; REFUGEES; INFORMATION SERVICES; LIBRARY COLLECTION DEVELOPMENT; LIBRARY PLANNING; OUT