Ministry of Education and Culture officials hope the new central branch of the Virgin Islands Public Library Service, located at the Clarence Thomas building in Pasea Estate, will be fit for purpose by September. Photo: CONOR KING DEVITT

More than 13 months after closing its doors to the public, the main branch of the Virgin Islands Public Library Service remains shuttered.

Ministry of Education and Culture officials hope the new central branch of the Virgin Islands Public Library Service, located at the Clarence Thomas building in Pasea Estate, will be fit for purpose by September. Photo: CONOR KING DEVITT
That may change come September, however. Dr. Marcia Potter, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Education and Culture, told the Beacon on Monday that the MEC is hoping to finish outfitting the Road Town branch’s new location by the start of the school year.

Dr. Potter, however, added that she does “not have a magic wand” and could not predict the project’s timeline with certainty.

Her statement comes after months of murkiness surrounding the timetable for the branch’s reopening at its new location in the Clarence Thomas building in Pasea Estate.

Now, the new facility’s exterior appears to be completed, but looking through its windows reveals an interior that’s cluttered with various pieces of unorganised furniture and construction materials. It is not clear if any books have been transported to the new building yet.

The branch used to be located above the Rite Way on Flemming Street, where its second-story facility presented access difficulties for people with disabilities.

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