The New Library Building

Razor wire still surrounds the library at the back of the University - Apr 2002

The new UNTL Library building was previously a gymnasium, at the rear of the former Technical High School (now the main building of the new National University of East Timor campus).

In an earlier role the Portuguese-built building had been used for training mechanics.

It was used as a killing place by the militia in 1999.

It now provides a permanent base for the UNTL Library team to establish long-term library facilities and services for the University. The new building provides the capacity for library staff to handle incoming donations, to establish a permanent library collection and to develop the IT infrastructure needed for library and information services.

The Building

In 2000 here were no doors and no remaining windows. The roofing had been removed by people needing to repair their homes after the destructive rampage in 1999. There were no surviving power, water or sewerage facilities. Three septic tanks on the immediate perimeter of the building had been smashed.

Considerable work was needed to make the building suitable for a library including the removal of a number of internal walls, concrete bench structures and 2 internal toilet blocks. A number of windows had been bricked up and the external toilet block had to be completely rebuilt.

USAID funds and an East Timorese building firm completed the first phase of the building project with a budget of $US80,000.

There have been considerable problems with the building, requiring replacing the new (but seriously leaking) roof, further repair work and alterations to improve library operations, climate control and security. The library was closed in mid-2002 (after being open for less than 5 months) for this work to be done.

The library consists of:

• a large open space housing the library collection, student seating, loans window and security counter
• a multimedia centre with the an adjoining multimedia/audiovisual classroom
  
• a small room for loans services and the Reserve Collection (between the main library and the outside courtyard)
  
• 4 small rooms and a toilet block on the other side of the closed courtyard - including 2 library offices, a cataloguing and endprocessing room, and a small storage/server room.

A floor plan showing the proposed alterations and facilities is available in the Image Gallery.