The Cayman Islands Public Library Service would like to acknowledge and congratulate Mrs. Latasia Brown-Conolly for her 25 years of service! Mrs. Conolly began working for the Public Library Service in 1989 and to this day, she is the first and only full-time librarian that has worked at the public library in Cayman Brac.

Mrs. Conolly has fond memories of her first days with the Cayman Brac Public Library. The first library building she worked in was located in the Creek area next to the post office. She states that when she first started and for a long time thereafter, the only method for finding books was the card catalogue. At that time, Mrs. Conolly exclaims, “everything had to be done by hand. There was no word processing, no computers, no internet and of course no air conditioning.”

Despite the lack of modern conveniences available at that time, she persevered and managed to create a library environment that was welcoming and friendly to all of her patrons. During her tenure with the Public Library Service, Mrs. Conolly facilitated hundreds of literacy programmes and provided thousands of patrons with access to the best reading materials possible. She has seen many children grow into fine adults and has even witnessed technology alter the way in which libraries do business.

Commenting on Mrs. Conolly’s achievements, Director for the Public Library Service Mrs. Ramona Melody said, “Mrs. Latasia is an exceptional Librarian who demonstrates the same enthusiasm and dedication today as she did in 1989. She still represents the very best of what the library service has to offer, and is truly one-of-a-kind. We at the Public Library Service know that we cannot adequately thank her for all that she has done for the Cayman Brac community and for the library service organisation, however, we do wish to publically acknowledge her hard work and publically say “thank you” for 25 years of outstanding service.”

Acting Chief Officer for Education Mr. Christen Suckoo also joined in thanking Mrs. Conolly saying, “It is always such a delight to hear of the many years and hard work contributed by outstanding members of the Civil Service. I would like to join Mrs. Melody in thanking Mrs. Conolly for her years of service and congratulate her on reaching this milestone.”

Photos and Captions:

Photo 1: The first picture taken of Mrs. Latasia Brown-Conolly at the Cayman Brac Public Library in 1992.

Photo 2: The most recent picture taken of Mrs. Latasia Brown-Conolly in the Cayman Brac Library in October 2014.