• Submitted by: admin
• 11 / 15 / 2006

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Tuesday convened a meeting of Cuba's 26 UNESCO-affiliated libraries in the northwest city of Matanzas.

"The network of libraries... is a bastion of education, culture and information," said Blanca Patayo, a UNESCO representative to Havana, at the opening ceremony.

"Human history is gathered and preserved in libraries, and they are essential institutions for the development of peace, and humanity's spiritual values," he added.

This meeting, the fifth in a series organized by the Jose Marti National Library along with regional library institutions, will cover cultural activities in communities aimed at serving the disabled, caring for the environment and preserving cultural heritage.

Mantanzas's library, the second oldest in Cubaafter Havana's Jose Marti Library, will exhibit its reading promotion programs, which are currently implemented in schools and workplaces.