Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Samiu Vaipulu and the Minister of Education, Hon. Dr 'Ana Taufe'ulungaki

A public reading room in Nuku'alofa was officially opened by the Minister of Education, Dr 'Ana Taufe'ulungaki yesterday afternoon, November 13.

The Chief Executive Officer CEO of the Ministry of Information and Communication Paula Ma'u said that the reading room and a library was a government initiative to fulfill its Freedom of Information Policy that was launched in June.

The library located on Level 2 of the O. G. Sanft Building has a very limited source of materials, predominantly newspaper archives of the government newspaper, the Chronicle, from when it was launched in 1965 to its closure in 2009. There is also a collection of royal photographs, and of Nuku'alofa. It is the beginning of an effort by government to provide a better information service for the public.

Hon. Samiu Vaipulu, the Chairman of the Freedom of Information Steering Committee, in his keynote speech said that the important role of the reading room and its library was as a reliable source of government information, and not what is reported in some newspapers. 

The Reading Room will be opened to the public from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday to Friday.