A NEW web-based library, Digital Tent Guyana, which is furnished with materials on Guyana’s history, national heritage, culture and socio-political landscape was launched on Wednesday at the National Library, as the country gears to celebrate its 50th Independence Anniversary.   Free of cost to access, the website has tidbits such as music, videos, texts links, Guyanese books and publications, and recordings of speeches among other electronically produced content featuring aspects of Guyana’s history.
Speaking at the launch was Guyanese-born University of Ohio Professor, Dr. Vibert Cambridge, who explained that the website is a product of a class project between students of the University of Ohio and students of the University of Guyana (UG).

LEGACY PROJECTS
According to Dr Cambridge, the effort which resulted from a course called “Technology, Communication and Culture” that he taught this semester, is also the translation of the Academic Working Group’s aspiration of creating legacy projects, which will be sustainable beyond Guyana’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
The professor boasted that the site houses a lot of information on Guyana, which was drawn from a number of credible and authentic sources. He noted that the internet is flooded with information about Guyana by Guyanese, and so time was invested in the project to compile accurate and comprehensive information for both Guyanese and non-Guyanese.
WILL BE UPDATED
He was keen to note, however, that with the changing dynamics of a country and the need for documentation, the project is not a final product, but will be updated as time progresses. “This is not a final project, this is the launch of a project that is modular, and we expect that there will be additional contribution to this over time,” he said.
He also disclosed that the College of Communication of the University of Ohio intends to stay with the project and ultimately to hand it over to the University of Guyana for maintenance. Further, the professor noted that the team that was responsible for putting together the website did so while being conscious of the theme of the 50th Jubilee celebrations: “Respect, Celebrate and Inspire.”
“The work we have presented here sets out to do just that,” Dr. Cambridge said, adding that the work was also guided by four questions; “Who are we? What has been our journey? What can we become? And how do we get there?”
“I am very proud to be a part of this, this is a resource that will inspire and inform the conversation…this is an access, this is a resource to contribute to literary development, and it is also a resource to encourage research and scholarship. It is also a resource to encourage participation between Guyanese at home and Guyanese abroad,” Dr. Cambridge told the small gathering at the National Library on Wednesday.
The website complements imminent activities, inclusive of the National Symposia Series and Guyana’s inaugural Literary Festival, for which the Academic Working Group, a sub-group of the National Commemorative Committee, has been assigned responsibility, as part of the country’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.
Director of Culture, Dr. James Rose also addressed the gathering, and presented an overview of the Academic Working Group’s activities for the jubilee celebrations this month.
Present also was Minister within the Ministry of Education, Nicolette Henry, who spoke briefly about other Jubilee activities which are scheduled for this month. In her remarks, Minister Henry encouraged persons to support the upcoming events, which will commemorate Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.