Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham accompanied by College Council Chairman, T. Baswell Donaldson; Minister of Education, the Hon. Desmond Bannister; President of College of The Bahamas, Dr. Betsy Vogel-Boze and the College Librarian Ms. Willamae Johnson, stroll along the front of the newly constructed Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre during its official opening on Friday, April 8. (BIS Photo/Derek Smith).

Nassau, Bahamas - T he College of The Bahamas marked another milestone in its move toward university status.  The College officially opened the new Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre on Friday, April 8.  The $28 million library, which is located at the southwest quadrant of the college’s Oakes Field campus, was constructed to meet the needs of a growing student population. With a holdings capacity of 150,000 volumes, the 60,000 square foot library can accommodate approximately 650 library users and has group and study spaces, a 75-seat auditorium and is handicap accessible. It also features a 24-hour Internet café and has wireless access throughout the property.

Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Hubert A. Ingraham said that he was ‘pleased' to participate in the event.

“The ongoing development and nurturing of public institutions is critical to our national development and national identity,” said Mr. Ingraham. “In due course, the National Museum of The Bahamas will join the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas as another centre for the preservation and showcasing of Bahamian heritage and history.”

Minister of Education, the Hon. Desmond Bannister said that he felt ‘privileged' to be a part of the historic occasion.

“Mr. Moore’s legacy in The Bahamas will be indelibly etched in the annals of education in The Bahamas and the lives of the persons he transformed through his generosity and enlisting others to buy into a vision of tertiary education for Bahamians.”

The library bears the name of the late Harry C. Moore, former chairman of the Lyford Cay Foundation and a former member of the College Council. Mr. Moore was at the forefront of fundraising efforts to construct the library. Persuading members of the Lyford Cay Foundation and friends to contribute, Mr. Moore was able to secure a $5 million commitment from the foundation -  $3.5 million for the furnishings, fixtures and equipment and $1.5 million for the Virtual Library.

The widow of the late Mr. Moore, Mrs. Monique Moore said that she was ‘sorry' that her husband was not alive to see his dream become a reality but she said that she knew that he would have been ‘extremely’ pleased.

President of the College Council, Mr. T. Baswell Donaldson, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and Mrs. Monique Moore stand in front of a portrait of the late Harry C. Moore after the unveiling of the photograph in the foyer of the newly constructed Harry C. Moore Library and Information Centre. (BIS Photo/Derek Smith).

“Harry’s insistence on a major library was part of his belief in the need for education, a need that was matched only by the determination to find a way to pay for it,” said Mrs. Moore. To this end, she said, he would ‘hit’ neighbours, friends and golfers for money for the Lyford Cay Foundation in order to fund the project.

The government also injected $5 million in financial support and guaranteed a $23 million loan facility.  The Sir Lynden Pindling Foundation donated $300,000 toward a $500,000 commitment. The library will house a permanent exhibition in honour of the life and legacy of Sir Lynden. 

In addition, over the years, the faculty and staff of the College of The Bahamas have donated approximately $120,000 to the project.

The Prime Minister said that the new library will ‘complement’ the ongoing development of the surrounding communities that include the headquarters of the Customs Department, the Ministry of Education, the CID headquarters which is about to undergo a million dollar renovation and upgrade, and the Queen Elizabeth Sports Centre – home to the Kendal Isaacs Gymnasium and the Betty Kelly-Kenning Aquatic Centre and the soon to be completed new Tommy Robinson National Stadium.