“Please do not return” should be the slogan for the State newspaper

Dear Editor,
The Guyana Chronicle Archive is not open to the public, please do not return.
That should be the new slogan.
I was tasked with a small research project which I started off by visiting the National Library on Thursday, July 25, 2019, and I was told that they do not have the years of the newspapers I need to access and even if they do, the pages are brittle and stored away. My best bet would be the National Archives. I proceeded to that State entity and was also informed that the pages are also brittle of the years I need and they are not allowed to be used by the public. I was advised to visit the Guyana Chronicle.
I ventured off to the office of the Guyana Chronicle and it was a nightmarish experience. I was told it is not possible because the librarian is not available. The General Manager approached me nicely and gave me all assurance that I will need to return on Friday, July 26, 2019, at 10:00h, which I did.
The librarian approached me and I was ushered into the library section with a visitors ID badge. I was questioned about the reason I needed to use the newspapers and what years. I said I need to see the reports for Queen Elisabeth’s first visit which I was told, was in February 1966 and July and August 1969 for other reports. The librarian ventured off and brought to her office the stack of newsprints of the State visit of the Queen. I was then told that I will need to furnish a letter to the editor before any data is extracted. I almost fell through the floor. I was then informed that the Guyana Chronicle Archive is not open to the public. I told the librarian that it should not be because it is the State-owned newspaper and the public has a right to research and extract data. She picked up the phone and was whispering to whoever she was speaking to and then I was told that I will need to revisit during the first week in August. I asked for the General Manager and I was told she is away from office.
Prior to this visit, I visited the said office a short while ago and I had access to the newspapers and conducted research and took photos from the old newspapers. No fault of the librarian because it was obvious she was taking orders from someone else and in this case, the person she was whispering to from the other end of the phone. She was basically doing her job.
I realised I was never going to have access to retrieve any data for my research during this round. I was so disappointed to actually witness the stack of newspapers in close proximity and have to leave without having any access to do my research.
I have always thought that the archive of the State-owned newspaper, Guyana Chronicle, was open to the public but little did I know, it is not. It’s a private archive.
As I was leaving, the receptionist was kind enough to say she was sorry about everything. I told her not to be sorry about anything because everything seems to be going wrong in this country.
Just a reminder to Guyana Chronicle, at the end of the day it’s the public who advertises in your newspaper, pays for your daily newsprints from the vendors who sell them and it’s the monies generated which contributes to the payment of salaries for your staff.

Yours faithfully,
T Pemberton