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About Suriname

Suriname

Region: Latin America and the Caribbean

Area: 163,820 km²

Population: 634,431

Libraries (Service Points): 311

Libraries in Suriname

Last update: March 2020

The library system in Suriname is decentralised and is at different stages of development. The level of development varies by library, determined by its management and funding.

Suriname has one public library with several branches, academic libraries, special libraries, a school library system and community libraries. The public library is part of the Foundation Cultural Centre Suriname (CCS); academic libraries are part of the university or colleges of higher education; the special libraries are part of the private or public sector. The school library system, a section of the General Educational Library (Algemene Onderwijsbibliotheek), which operates administratively under the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture Department Library, coordinates school libraries in more than 90% of primary schools, secondary schools and high schools.

At present, there is the matter of the ageing of Suriname’s library staff. The two certified Librarians have had formal training in the Netherlands and will retire in less than two years. The management of most of the libraries is in the hands of library assistants who have been formally trained through different organisations, for instance the Foundation National Database Suriname. Most of the library personnel is trained on-the-job or has participated in a “Library Assistant” training programme, when available.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is responsible for the development of policy, which unfortunately is not yet in place. There is no national library policy, no legislation on librarianship, no national library. All libraries have their own agendas and their own library development policies. Libraries operate with funding from their managing institutions; none have their own budgets.

The Foundation Nationale Database Suriname acts as a Library association in Suriname. Because the country does not have a national library, the Foundation provides the infrastructure to centralize information of and about Suriname, which is stored in an online database. The database gives access to bibliographic data located throughout the libraries in Suriname, where much of the heritage information is not only unknown but also inaccessible to the general public. With this online database, the country’s cultural heritage is becoming more accessible and available to those who need information about Suriname. The staff of the libraries were trained to contribute to the database.

This Foundation also organizes educational activities such as formal trainings, lectures and courses on information-related topics.  At the beginning of 2020, the Library School of Suriname was established, which provides two training programmes (Library Assistant and Library Manager). The objective of the School is to secure the continuation of libraries through training of library managers and assistants. With this new group of library professionals the library field will be equipped with qualified staff to the benefit of the sector.

Library data

Libraries (Service Points) 311
Main Libraries 11
Branch Libraries 4
External Service Points 6
Mobile Libraries 2
Libraries (Administrative Units) 11
Libraries with Internet Access 10
Full-Time Staff 58
Volunteers 8
Registered Users 3,268
Physical Visits 37,350
Physical Loans 282,450
eBook Loans
Audio Book Loans
Downloads 76

Contextual data

Population and Geography
634,431

Population

No Data Available

Population Growth

38.6%

Proportion of Population Younger than 15

11.9%

Proportion of Population Older than 64

3.9

Population Density
people per sq km

65.8%

Population Growth

Information and Infrastructure
99.6%

Access to Electricity

78.4%

Internet Users

No Data Available

Female Internet Users

No Data Available

Male Internet Users

Poverty and Employment
21,800.5%

GDP per capita

2.2%

Poverty Rate
2011 PPP

39.2%

Inequality
2011 PPP

7.9%

Unemployment

18.2%

Inactive Youth
2011 PPP

Education and Literacy
2.9%

Education Spending
% of GDP

92.9%

Adult Literacy Rate
% of people age 15+

91.0%

Female Adult Literacy
% of GDP

91.0%

Male Adult Literacy
% of people age 15+

98.0%

Female Youth Literacy
% of GDP

97.4%

Male Youth Literacy
% of people age 15+

Innovation and Skills
No Data Available

Research Spending
% of GDP

No Data Available

Researchers
% of GDP

13

Research Spending
% of GDP

Library data

Library type

Total

National

Academic

Public

Community

School

Other

Libraries (Service Points)

Library service point is a fixed or mobile facility through which library provides a service to its users. Central libraries, branch libraries, mobile libraries, and external service points located in different geographical locations and managed by one administrative unit are all each individual service points. Number of libraries is the total number of central/main libraries, branch libraries, external service points and mobile libraries.

311

311

2024

2

2024

12

2018

1

2018

289

2018

7

2022
Main Libraries

Central/main library is usually part or those parts of an administrative unit where the main administrative functions and the important parts of the library collection and services are located. An administrative unit comprising several branch libraries does not necessarily include a central library.

11

11

2024

1

2024

1

2018

1

2018

1

2018

7

2022
Branch Libraries

Branch library is a part of a larger administrative unit providing, in separate quarters, a service for a particular user group (e.g. children, faculties) or for a locally defined clientele. Institute, departmental and other affiliated libraries are included. Mobile libraries and external service points are excluded.

4

4

2022

4

2018

0

2018

0

2022
External Service Points

External service point is a point away from library premises at which a certain service is regularly offered to users. This includes places within a locality at which library material is deposited for informal circulation to a restricted group of users but without other library services, for example, old people’s homes, community centres, collections for hospital patients. Mobile libraries and their stops are not counted as external service points.

6

6

2024

1

2024

5

2018

0

2018

0

2022
Mobile Libraries

Mobile library is a library, sometimes a division of a public library, using transport means to provide documents and services directly to users as an alternative to access on library premises.

2

2

2022

2

2018

0

2018

0

2022
Libraries (Administrative Units)

Administrative unit is any independent library, or group of libraries, under a single directorate or a single administration. The term “independent” does not imply legal or financial independence but only that the library is a recognisably separate unit, typically within a larger organisation. The administrative unit can be a single library or a larger organisation, typically containing a central/main library, branch libraries and administrative functions.

11

11

2024

1

2024

1

2018

1

2018

1

2018

7

2022
Libraries with Internet Access

Libraries (Service Points) that provides internet access from at least one workstation available to the public regardless of whether access is free, and/or provides a wireless network allowing users to connect to the Internet.

10

10

2024

2

2024

1

2018

1

2018

6

2022
Full-Time Staff

Full-time equivalent (FTE) staff are all library employees who work for the library in return for payment. It includes professional staff, qualified staff, project staff and assistants. Other staff (library employees who work in security and on domestic duties, for example, cleaners, porters, caretakers and catering staff) and volunteers are excluded.

58

58

2024

27

2024

15

2018

16

2022
Volunteers

Volunteer is a person working on library tasks without payment. In counting volunteers, the concept of headcount is used.

8

8

2022

0

2018

8

2018

0

2022
Registered Users

Registered user is a person or organisation registered with a library in order to use its collection and/or services within or away from the library. Users may be registered upon their request or automatically when enrolling in the institutions.

3,268

3,268

2024

468

2024

2,460

2018

340

2022
Physical Visits

Physical visit is a person (individual) entering the library premises.

37,350

37,350

2024

19,260

2024

13,583

2018

40

2018

4,467

2022
Physical Loans

Physical loan is a direct lending or delivery transaction of an item in physical form. Physical loans include loans of items in non-electronic form (e.g. books) and loans electronic documents on a physical carrier (e.g. CD-ROM).

282,450

282,450

2024

8,104

2024

268,913

2018

5,433

2022
eBook Loans

eBook is a non-serial digital document, licenced or not, where searchable text is prevalent, and similar to a print book (monograph). eBooks can be lent to users either on portable devices (eBook readers) or by transmitting the contents to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period.

Audio Book Loans

Audio book (or talking book) is a sound recording of readings of a book, magazine, or newspaper, usually designed for use by visually impaired people. Audio books can be lent to users either on a physical carrier or other device, or by transmitting the content to the user’s PC or other device for a limited time period.

Downloads

Download is a content unit that is successfully requested from a library-provided online service or other internet service (e.g. database, electronic serial or digital document).

76

76

2022

76

2022

Population

Suriname

Region

World

Population

Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

total

634,431

2024

662,186,388

2024

8,141,808,945

2024

Proportion of Population Younger than 15

Age dependency ratio, young, is the ratio of younger dependents--people younger than 15--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.

percentage of working-age population

38.6%

2024

33.3%

2024

38.0%

2024

Proportion of Population Older than 64

Age dependency ratio, old, is the ratio of older dependents--people older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.

precentage of working-age population

11.9%

2024

14.5%

2024

15.7%

2024

Population Growth

Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.

annual percentage

0.9%

2024

1

2024

1.0%

2024

Population Density

Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.

people persq. km of land area

3.9%

2023

32.6%

2022

61.6%

2022

Urban Population

Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.

percentage of total population

65.8%

2024

81.3%

2024

57.6%

2024

Information Infrastructure

Suriname

Region

World

Internet Users

Internet users are individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of population

78.4%

2023

81.7%

2024

71.2%

2024

Female Internet Users

This indicator refers to female individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of female population

-

81.3%

2024

68.2%

2024

Male Internet Users

This indicator refers to male individuals who have used the Internet (from any location) in the last 3 months. The Internet can be used via a computer, mobile phone, personal digital assistant, games machine, digital TV etc.

percentage of male population

-

81.3%

-

Access to Electricity

Access to electricity is the percentage of population with access to electricity. Electrification data are collected from industry, national surveys and international sources.

percentage of population

99.6%

2023

98.4%

2023

91.6%

2023

Economy, Poverty, and Employment

Suriname

Region

World

GDP per Capita

This indicator provides values for gross domestic product (GDP) expressed in current international dollars, converted by purchasing power parities (PPPs). PPPs account for the different price levels across countries and thus PPP-based comparisons of economic output are more appropriate for comparing the output of economies and the average material well-being of their inhabitants than exchange-rate based comparisons. Gross domestic product is the total income earned through the production of goods and services in an economic territory during an accounting period. It can be measured in three different ways: using either the expenditure approach, the income approach, or the production approach. This series has been linked to produce a consistent time series to counteract breaks in series over time due to changes in base years, source data and methodologies. Thus, it may not be comparable with other national accounts series in the database for historical years. The core indicator has been divided by the general population to achieve a per capita estimate. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. The PPP conversion factor is a currency conversion factor and a spatial price deflator. PPPs convert different currencies to a common currency and, in the process of conversion, equalize their purchasing power by eliminating the differences in price levels between countries, thereby allowing volume or output comparisons of GDP and its expenditure components.

current international $

21,801

2024

22,880.9

2024

24,405

2024

Poverty Rate

Poverty headcount ratio at $3.00 a day is the percentage of the population living on less than $3.00 a day at 2021 purchasing power adjusted prices. As a result of revisions in PPP exchange rates, poverty rates for individual countries cannot be compared with poverty rates reported in earlier editions.

percentage of population

2.2%

2022

4.5%

2024

10.3%

2024

Inequality

Gini index measures the extent to which the distribution of income (or, in some cases, consumption expenditure) among individuals or households within an economy deviates from a perfectly equal distribution. A Lorenz curve plots the cumulative percentages of total income received against the cumulative number of recipients, starting with the poorest individual or household. The Gini index measures the area between the Lorenz curve and a hypothetical line of absolute equality, expressed as a percentage of the maximum area under the line. Thus a Gini index of 0 represents perfect equality, while an index of 100 implies perfect inequality.

percentage

39.2%

2022

0.0%

-

Unemployment

Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment. Definitions of labor force and unemployment differ by country.

percentage of total labor force

7.9%

2016

5.5%

2024

6.2%

2021

Inactive Youth

The share of youth not in education, employment or training (also known as “the NEET rate”) conveys the number of young persons not in education, employment or training as a percentage of the total youth population. Youth not in education are those who were neither enrolled in school nor in a formal training program (e.g. vocational training). For the purposes of this indicator, youth is defined as all persons between the ages of 15 and 24 (inclusive).


percentage of youth population

18.2%

2016

18.4%

2024

-

Education and Literacy

Suriname

Region

World

Education Spending

General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.


percentage of GDP

2.9%

2023

3.8%

2023

3.5%

2023

Adult Literacy Rate

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of people ages 15 and above

92.9%

2012

3.8%

2023

87.7%

2024

Female Adult Literacy

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of females ages 15 and above

91.0%

2012

94.7%

2024

84.6%

2024

Male Adult Literacy

Adult literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15 and above who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of males ages 15 and above

91.0%

2012

95.2%

2024

90.9%

2024

Female Youth Literacy

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of females ages 15-24

98.0%

2018

98.9%

2024

92.0%

2024

Male Youth Literacy

Youth literacy rate is the percentage of people ages 15-24 who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement about their everyday life.


percentage of males ages 15-24

97.4%

2018

98.5%

2024

94.1%

2024

Research and Innovation

Suriname

Region

World

Research Spending

Gross domestic expenditures on research and development (R&D), expressed as a percent of GDP. They include both capital and current expenditures in the four main sectors: Business enterprise, Government, Higher education and Private non-profit. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.


percentage of GDP

-

0.6%

2020

2.7%

2022

Researchers

The number of researchers engaged in Research &Development (R&D), expressed as per million. Researchers are professionals who conduct research and improve or develop concepts, theories, models techniques instrumentation, software of operational methods. R&D covers basic research, applied research, and experimental development.


per million people

-

582.7

2014

1,516

2018

Scientific Articles

Article counts refer to publications from a selection of conference proceedings and peer-reviewed journals from Scopus in science and engineering fields, according to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics Taxonomy of Disciplines.


fractional count

13

2022

130,281.9

2022

3,338,192

2022

National Library Associations

Foundation Nationale Database Suriname (NDS) / Stichting Nationale Database Suriname (NDS)

Suriname does not have a national Library. The Foundation NDS acts like an association without members. All activities are focused on the Surinamese library field. The NDS mobilizes the libraries to contribute to the online database of Suriname data and also organizes educational activities such as lecturers and training for professional development. Some of the major activities include:

  • Launch of the online database “Nationale Database Suriname” (2005)
  • Implementation of training programme “Library Assistant” (2010)
  • Hosting the 45th ACURIL Conference (the Association of Caribbean University, Research and Institutional Libraries, ACURIL); Suriname filled the chairpersonship 2014-2015 (President ACURIL 2014-2015)
  • Establishing the Regional Library Association (2015)
  • Establishing the Library School Suriname (2020)

There is no information available.

Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (Government) / Ministerie van Onderwijs, Wetenschappen en Cultuur (MINOWC)

This government institution is responsible for educational development, including science and different cultures in Suriname, preservation and conservation of the cultural heritage. The Ministry has the Department of Libraries, which operates as a library – the General Educational Library (Algemene Onderwijsbibliotheek).

There are no library support organisations in Suriname.

National Policy for Libraries

There is no information available.

There is no information available.

Professional Qualification Requirements

Professional Qualification Requirements

Suriname strives to strengthen the professional qualification requirements and the formal library training offer within the field. Librarians are required to have one of the following – diploma “Librarian”, diploma “Libary Assistant”, or certificate “Library Employee”. Other staff members, who have a high school diploma, are trained on-the-job.

Education

The LIS education system in Suriname is irregular. Training is provided when needed. Over the years more than seven library training programmes were organized by several institutions:

  • Diploma Training “Library Assistant” offered three times the Foundation Cultural Center Suriname, one time by the Foundation Documentary Information programs Suriname (DIOS), and one time by the Foundation National Database Suriname (this last training was sponsored by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Suriname).
  • Diploma Training Postgraduate “Library Assistant” offered once  at the Foundation Cultural Center Suriname.
  • Diploma Training “Library Management” (once) at the Foundation DIOS.
  • Diploma Training “Information Specialist” at the Foundation National Database Suriname in collaboration with GO Training, school for information in the Netherlands. This training was sponsored by the Twinning Facility Suriname;
  • At present,  the newly established Library School Suriname offers two library programs: “Library Assistant” and “Library Manager”.

There is no information available.

There is no information available.

Library Location Resources

Contributors

  • Foundation Nationale Database Suriname / Stichting Nationale Database Suriname