LATE Chief Librarian, Gillian Thompson was honoured for her unconditional service to the National Library of Guyana when the ‘Young Adult Collection’ was renamed the ‘Gillian Thompson Young Adult Collection’ on Thursday.

The simple ceremony was held at the National Library and was attended by the University of Guyana’s (UG) Chief Librarian Gwyneth George; Human Services and Social Security Ministry’s former Manager of the Document Centre, Ms. Yvonne Stephenson; Bank of Guyana Librarian Beverly Baker; National Library Committee member, Yvonne Harewood Benn; and staff of the National Library, E. King and M. James, among other persons.

Students from various schools, including the St. John’s College and Bishops’ High School, also participated and showed their respect for the late Librarian.

Chairman of the Committee of the National Library, Pitamber Persaud, in his remarks, said Guyana would be a much better place to live if there were more persons like Gillian Thompson, who loved to work with young adults living here.

Young adults, he said, are at a critical stage of their development, when they are most receptive to influences and are most vulnerable. The late Gillian Thompson understood this, he said, and she knew the value of reading for the development of a well rounded individual.

He said she had shown dedication, commitment and consistency to reach out to others; and was a caring person, helping others to help themselves. Thompson had been a go-getter who demonstrated great respect for her staff and others, and her motive at work was to move the National Library forward and promote literacy, Persaud said.

“She exhibited the curiosity to plan and work…and to see projects through to their expected results. She was a woman of action, but she was rarely seen in the forefront; instead, she excelled best at directing the show from the background,” Persaud disclosed.

Thompson worked at the National Library for just over two decades, beginning on November 1, 1991. In 2004 she became the Chief Librarian, and worked tirelessly until her untimely passing on December 24, 2013.

(Raveena Mangal)