 the caribbean research library the caribbean research library the caribbean research library crl is a specialised reference collection of all types of materials both current and retrospective which relate to guyana and the caribbean it is the largest of its kind regionally and its resources and services are open to organisations and individuals engaged in research on guyana and the caribbean the primary objective of the crl is to be an important reference collection it therefore aims to be as comprehensive as possible in the collection and acquisition of caribbean material this objective has been achieved to the extent that the crl can claim to be the largest collection in the world on guyana in scope this unit covers the guianas belize and the caribbean islands and in some instances items on flora and fauna of south america it contains over 30000 books pamphlets manuscripts newspapers microfilms maps records tapes and other miscellaneous items some of which are both unique and rare the immediate objectives of the division are as follows to collect and disseminate retrospective and contemporary information on a wide range of topics and subjects from the creative arts to the sciences on guyana and the caribbean to support research and teaching activities of the university campus including nationals and overseas researchers on guyanese topics to encourage an awareness of the importance of research on caribbean and especially guyanese topics to preserve our history and cultural heritage because crl is a closed collection users do not have access to the stacks in order to find out what is available on a particular subject the catalogues should be consulted it is arranged by author title and subject and provides call numbers to books additionally the collection of the crl is partially automated and users may consult the online catalogue to retrieve information a list of serials journals held in crl can be obtained on request at the desk indexes of content pages of journals can also be obtained at the desk after identifying the item s you wish to consult a reading room issue slip must be filled out and submitted to the staff a reading room ticket must be submitted to borrow the material only two materials can be borrowed by a user at any one time the loan period is 2 hours books may be renewed if necessary there are also various special collections within the crl these are as follows awb long collection vital information on the social history of guyana roth collection manuscripts union of cultural clubs collection reports and other information concerning the history of guyana rare book collection old maps postcards photographs and manuscripts dating back to the 15th century norman e cameron collection manuscripts diaries aj seymour diaries manuscripts letters the crl houses a large reading room with seating capacity for approximately seventyfour 74 persons webmaster fri 2242017 1724  