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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Oman gets library for kids with 10,000 titles

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Muscat, Nov 13 - The Children’s Public Library in Qurum, a first-of-its-kind in the Sultanate, was officially inaugurated by His Highness Sayyid Haitham bin Tareq al Said, Minister of Heritage and Culture, on Monday.


According to officials in the management, the project idea came about with the coming together of individuals and organisations keen on promoting culture and childhood development.


It is backed by a combination of public and private sector representatives.


Currently, the library operates from 10 am to 3 pm on weekdays.


Her Highness Dr Sayyida Mona bint Fahd al Said said the team behind the library was proud of the milestone it had achieved. “A lot of work has gone into reaching where we are today. We are on the first floor with 10,000 titles and we are covering the ages seven to 17.”


It has six staff members. The plan is to increase the total number of books to 20,000 in 2018.


“Eventually, we want to see 50,000 books over 9,000 square metres. We are also looking at doubling our staff in order to accommodate evening sessions and weekends,” she added.


The opening day had various activities for young visitors. The library has five floors, of which two are dedicated for books and technology. The third floor is for holding workshops. “We request schools to contact our management for booking an appointment to bring students for a visit to the library. Books are available in both Arabic and English as well as other foreign languages. We have been receiving students from both public and private schools,” said Sultan al Salami, Board Member of the Children’s Book Library.

“We plan to link the library with society through memberships, mutual cooperation and exchanging experiences and resources. We also have technology to assist our differently abled visitors so that everyone can benefit from the library,” he said.


Lakshmi Kothaneth


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