Gambia Armed Forces defence and security in The Gambia was the responsibility of the Field Force. The Field Force was a paramilitary unit of the police, consisting of roughly 140 men at independence and rising to around 500 in 1980. It has been formed in 1958 following the disbandment of the Gambia Regiment, part of the British Army. There was little concern about security in The Gambia due to its small size and the safety provided by being totally surrounded by Senegal, with which it had signed a mutual defence pact in 1965. This lax attitude to defence changed following the 1981 coup
National Library of The Gambia are stored in the library, which caters mainly to The Gambia and its history. The library offers an adult library, children's library, bulk school lending service, mobile and mailbox service. The library was originally operated by the British council till 1946 and was renamed to the National Library of The Gambia by 1971. The Gambia did not have any library on its own till 1962. Till then the library was the only one of its kind in the country other than the ones in schools, Government departments, missions houses and clubs. When the transfer took place, the library had a