By Gerardo R. Partido
Variety News Staff

THE public library in Agat has reopened, and is now named the Maria Rivera Aguigui Memorial Library, in honor of the late longtime educator.
Gov. Felix P. Camacho, who led the reopening ceremony, said it was just fitting that the southern branch of the Guam public library system be named after Aguigui, whom the governor described as a pioneer in the island’s library and educational system.
“Libraries are the doorways to knowledge and places where we can take our children to read and explore. This is what the Maria Rivera Aguigui Memorial Library will be to students and residents of Agat and Santa Rita and to everyone who visits this beautiful village,” the governor said.
The branch will serve the communities in Agat, Santa Rita, Naval Station and Sumay. It was closed on Jan. 18, 2000 due to staff shortage and early retirement.
The governor approved funds in February 2005 for repairs to reopen all five Guam public library branches, including Agat.
Construction on the Agat branch began in August 2006, with the Department of Public Works coordinating the construction with Asia Pacific International which won the bid for the project. The renovation cost $32,286.
The newly renovated Agat Branch Library will feature the following:
* Six computers with high-speed Internet access, Microsoft Word and library software;
* Children’s collections and reading area;
* Juvenile/young adult collections;
* Advanced collections;
* Reference collections;
* Special collection on Guam history and Chamorro culture; and
* Materials for the blind and physically handicapped (talking book tapes and Braille books).
The book collection for the Agat branch totals 31,484 for the library’s 974 total registered borrowers.
Schools expected to benefit from the library include Marcial Sablan Elementary School (next door to the library), Harry S. Truman Elementary School, J.P. Torres Alternative School, Southern High School, Southern Christian Academy, William C. McCool Elementary/Middle School, and Guam High School.