Seychelles National Library To Reopen In 2023 After Renovation

A top official of Green Island Construction Company (GICC), say renovation work on the Seychelles National Library building is expected to be completed by May 2023.

The general manager of GICC – a subsidiary of the state-owned Island Development Company (IDC) – Angelique Antat, made the announcement during a visit to the premises.

Antat said when the renovation is completed in May next year, the building will be completely new.

The National Library building, which housed the National Archives and the library, was shut down in August 2013 following a fungus infestation.

The chief executive of the Infrastructure Agency, Jitesh Shah, told reporters that because the contractors have removed everything from the building leaving only its outer shell, the fungus infestation that was an issue before will no longer be a problem.

He attributed the original infestation of fungus to the inappropriate ventilation systems that were put in place for certain areas.

Antat expressed confidence that the same problem will not arise again  as companies which specialised in air-conditioning have been contacted and will be installing systems that will ensure there is no more fungus in the building.

GICC was contracted to carry out the renovation at a cost of $5.6 million (SCR75 million).

The government of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean, is funding the project through loans from local banks.

GICC contracted an architect to redesign the building which will mainly have library facilities and some administrative offices on the top floor.

The company said that the current garden found on the premises will also be upgraded so that visitors will feel comfortable inside as well as outside the library. There will also be a section where students and adults will be able to comfortably carry out their research work.

Furthermore, the National Archives will no longer be based in the renovated building due to space constraints.

Apart from the need for space, Kalebi also explained that the Archives will be housed in another building so that in the event of another fungus outbreak, only one of those institutions would be affected and not the whole system.

Currently, the Archives are based at Maison Helena at Ile du Port – a man-made island next to the capital Victoria.

She said that once completed the newly renovated library will have modern amenities in keeping with the broadened mandate of such institutions worldwide.