THE Ranfurly Out Island library was started in a small room in Government House in 1954. It has grown into Book Aid International in London, which over the years has sent more than 30 million books to the underdeveloped countries of the world. Prince Philip, the patron, gave a reception at St James Palace on February 26 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Library Service.
PRINCE Philip greets Lady Caroline Simmonds at a reception given at St James Palace on February 26th to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Library Service, now known as Book Aid International, which was started in the Bahamas by Lady Caroline’s mother during the governorship of her father, the Earl of Ranfurly. Prince Philip is the library’s patron.
The Library Service had an inauspicious start in 1954 in a small backroom at Government House during the governorship of Lord Ranfurly. His wife Hermione, Countess of Ranfurly, in her travels with her husband through the Bahamas became aware of the desperate shortage of books for Bahamian school children.
In 1954, she started a donated book scheme, asking her friends and contacts to send surplus books from the UK for distribution to schools and libraries in need of them. The circulating library travelled the Bahamas. It was such a success that on the Ranfurlys return to the UK in the early 1960s, Colonial Secretary Lord Lennox-Boyd persuaded Lady Ranfurly to continue the service and expand it to other parts of the developing world.
Over the years, Book Aid International has sent 30 million books to the world’s underdeveloped countries.
At the end of this month, Lady Caroline and her husband, John Simmonds, will visit Nassau. To celebrate the library’s 60th anniversary, they will bring with them a gift of school books to be presented in Exuma.
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