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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Dar al Kitab plans mobile library

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SALALAH, Dec 24 - Encouraged by the honour of Sultan Qaboos Award for Voluntary Work, the functionaries of Dar al Kitab Library have decided to launch a mobile library sometime next year to make their reach broader easier. The library office-bearers are happy over the recognition and conveyed gratitude to award committee for placing the library in the first position in the organisational category of the award. “We were planning to implement the mobile library facility after several rounds of discussions. The award came as a bigger responsibility on us to serve the community in a better way and make books available to everyone who wants to read,” said Mustafa Abdul Qadir al Ghassany, board member of the library.


The library, according to him, would visit schools, festivals and even remote areas of Dhofar to encourage the students and youths in general to engage in reading as also to make them understand the value of voluntary social service, which they are doing through the library.


Simultaneously there is a plan to set up a publishing house in the name of Dar al Kitab to encourage local writers and keep alive the tradition of books in the age of Internet in which books are the worst victims.


“We are hoping that all our plans would materialise next year as we have been working hard on all the projects and keeping regular track on them,” said Al Ghassany.


The library’s hall is serving as a great gathering point for socially and culturally active people. The library regularly hosts workshops on writing, discussions and debates on several issues Commenting on other activities associated with the library Al Ghassany said: “we keep on organising literary and cultural events round the year and make sure that more and more youths take part and benefitted from interaction with renowned people in respective areas.”


The library currently has 15,000 books on variety of subjects and it is equipped with facilities like scanner and computer.


Eshraq Abdullah Faras Alnahdi, who is a writer and a health professional, is impressed with the ideas of the library and finds it a “great forum for writers, researchers and readers.”


“Abdul Qader Salem Ahmed al Ghassany, the founder of the library has done a great job by setting up of this library. This is like a candle which gives light to people like us. We get enlightened by reading his collections,” said Eshraq.


For Eshraq it is more than a library, as it takes care of many social issues and has emerging as a ‘hall of thoughts’ in Salalah.


Eshraq, who has written three books and working on fourth, finds the level of events happening at the library quite good and of high standards. “It is working as a catalyst among people, as it is easy now for organize events, workshops etc involving writers and culture professionals.


She endorsed the idea of mobile library, as it would add value to big and small events and more and people would get benefited from the novel idea of “books on wheels”.


Kaushalendra Singh


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