Participants from the central Guyana National Library have once again outshone competitors from the branch libraries, this time in the semi-final round of the Champion Readers Competition.  Participants in the 15-17 years category made the highest combined score of 94% in the oral and written presentations of the competition. Meanwhile, competitors in the 18-25 years and 12-14 years categories, also from the central library have gained 89% and 88% respectively.

In a statement the library said though participants from the branch libraries did not obtain the highest overall points, they did gain individual scores higher than the total percentages gained by the central library.

Some individual participants in the 18-25 years category at the Anna Regina Library obtained in both the oral and written aspects of the competition, and in some case either of the two, percentages in excess of 89%.

The semi-final round which was held on June 12 at the Linden, Bagotville and New Amsterdam libraries will see participants in each category who would have attained 70% and over advancing to the finals of the competition which is set for July 20. The books read for the competition in each category are taken from the collection at the central library and the branch libraries.

They had been selected by a committee responsible for reading and setting questions on them. Judges of the competition are also expected to read the books.

The National Library launched the competition on April 4.

In a press release it had said that the four-month competition seeks to encourage reading as a stimulating pastime among children and youth; stimulate a thirst for information through the printed medium; nurture a lifelong love for reading; develop the participants’ reading and comprehension skills and assist in the promotion of literacy in Guyana.