The library book shelves of the Island's largest school remain empty nearly six months after its opening.

And at least one parent has called for an explanation.

"How can you build a school and not provide books?'' asked the concerned father who did not wish to be identified. He told The Royal Gazette he had visited CedarBridge Academy in December and as recently as a week ago and there were still no books in the library.

"The library is like the centre of the whole school,'' he said. "There are beautiful views from there of the Island and beautiful halls leading to it.

But no books. I feel as if the kids are being robbed.

"Instead of making a lot of noise about the Coxall matter, the press should be highlighting this. Our kids are being neglected.'' When contacted yesterday principal Ernest Payette agreed that the situation was less than ideal.

"It's certainly not a desirable situation,'' he said.

During a tour of the school in June last year, students heard that trips to the downtown library were expected to be less frequent. Information from encyclopaedias and periodicals would be available via CDROM which the library will have, Mr. Payette told them.

Therefore most of the books on the 55,000-volume library shelves will be literature for personal reading, classics and novels. But yesterday he explained that there was a delay in the shipment of books and the library was one of the last buildings to be completed. There was also a delay in the implementation of the automated card catalogue system.

Mr. Payette said: "Finally we have most of the books here. They are currently working on that (the card catalogue system) and putting the security tags in books.'' The library is expected to be fully operational next month for the new school term. "We're in the process of putting the books on the shelves,'' Mr.

Payette said. In the meantime, he added, some students had access to the Internet in some classes and those in English classes were taken to the public library.

The Royal Gazette understands that letters will also soon be sent out to parents, asking them to help with setting up the library.

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