Rev. Gladstone Patton, after whom the library is named, was born at Black Point Exuma. He moved to Nassau to take a job in the construction field, and later opened his own company. Most of the young men from Black point would have worked with him. He also accepted the call of God and became the founding pastor of Community Holiness Church on Bahama Ave. and Exuma / Amos Ferguson St..
He started a fishing company and was the owner of two fishing boats that employed many men from Exuma. He also owned a mail boat with his brother: “The Lady Francis, which serviced his home town of Black Point. He has assisted many persons from Black Point.
Mr. Henry Rolle, who was a pastor on Black Point, and his wife a nurse, decided to start a library for the use of the
school and the community of Black Point. Mr Rolle became the Local Government Administrator when Local Government was introduced in Exuma in 1996. It was set up primarily to be a computer centre. Donations of building materials were made by investors, and a Yachtsman who had ties to a college donated computers from the college. Mr Rolle approached the government and Ministry of Education officials but could get no help to build the library.
The library was started in 1998 at the rear of the Black Point primary school, and opened in 1999. Other visitors
provided Internet and Wi Fi facilities and the technical personnel to make the computers available for public use.
The government provided personnel to teach persons how to use the computer. The library was later turned over
to the Bahamas National Trust who had been providing personnel from their organization to man it since it first opened.
The library is still manned today by an Environmental Educational officer from the BNT Ms Juanita Munroe. Ms Munroe teaches computer and environmental sciences. She facilitates the use of the computers by students who need to complete projects for school.
Activities such as
storytelling, Oral tradition of Bahamian culture, media, reading games, puzzles, miming, music, dance and dramatic plays would be featured from 28th October to 4th November 2023.
