By Sue-Ann Wayow
THE University of the West Indies (UWI) St Augustine campus has lost one of its stalwarts, former librarian Dr Alma Jordan.
Jordan, a recipient of the gold Hummingbird Medal, was the Campus Librarian for UWI’s main library from 1960 to 1989.
She served also as University Librarian from 1982 to her retirement in 1989.
In celebration of the Campus’s 50th Anniversary in 2010, the main library was renamed the Alma Jordan Library in her honour and in recognition of her contributions to the country and region.
Dr Jordan graduated with honours with a BA in Spanish from London University and held a Doctorate in Library Science from Columbia University.
She wrote extensively on Caribbean librarianship and recommended archival work for the UWI campuses. She also served as part of a body responsible for formulating plans for the creation of the National Library and Information System Authority (NALIS) and was a foundation member of the national library association and first president (1969-70) of the Association of Caribbean University Research and Institutional Libraries (ACURIL).
Campus Librarian, Frank Soodeen said the staff that followed Dr Jordan’s tenure continued to maintain her vision, ideals, and core values.
In paying tribute he said, “I continue to respect and be in awe of the passion, dedicated duty, and energy of Dr Jordan, who would have worked tirelessly, for example, to ensure that the library building was constructed in the 1960s when she herself was a young woman in her thirties, demonstrating that pioneering spirit that we would do well in the present to emulate.
“She has been a leading light in the profession of Librarianship throughout the Caribbean and an inspiration to all of us who had the opportunity to interact or work with her during her career.”
The Alma Jordan Library (AJL) is currently closed and staff will be working remotely until further notice, an advisory from the library stated.
