Library on wheels: Rearing to read

The Alif Laila Book Bus provides a ‘magical’ environment for young readers.

LAHORE:

Protectively shadowed by large trees and shrubs, and painted inside and out with an imaginative brush, stands the 35-year-old Alif Laila Book Bus, neatly tucked away in one corner of a small community park in Gulberg. This vibrant double decker, claimed to be the first children’s library in Pakistan, has many, many stories to tell.

Welcome to another world

Alif Laila’s exterior shows signs of its age. After all, she has been catering to the requirements of young readers for decades. Upon stepping inside, the reader is greeted by the driver – a stuffed toy sitting on a swing next to the steering wheel – who is a warm sight to young readers. Colourful books stacked on shelves, cushions and rugs spread across the length of the structure, and there is even a children activity corner. A small staircase leads to the first floor, opening into a cozy reading area decorated with floor cushions and activity books.

For many years, Alif Laila mostly accommodated the reading needs of children in the 5 to 15 age bracket. However, over the past seven years, the focus has shifted to early readers between 4 and 12 years of age.



A passage in time

This June marks her 35th anniversary. The idea for a visually appealing library specifically for children was conceived in 1978 by an American couple, who restored the bus and, later, handed it over to the locals.

Initially, the library attracted children largely from elite schools. But with the Alif Laila Book Bus Society being officially registered in 1979, the bus began to attract a wide range of children, including the underprivileged. Today, children are charged between Rs50 and Rs500 per year, depending on their financial background.

Syed Mehdi Tanveer Kazmi, a member of the bus library during his school days, and now a father of three, hopes to get his children registered.

“I walked into the bus after 25 years and it was like walking down memory lane,” says Kazmi, a smile playing on his face.

Breeding further initiatives

With the bus gaining popularity, the Punjab government offered to construct a reference library next to Alif Laila in the same park. In 1986, the reference library was gifted to the society by the provincial government. The circular building offers children not just a reference library for lending books, but also an audio visual centre.

“Our concept of library is that of a resource room where children can be offered various engaging activities that help them develop different skills,” explains Aysha Jabbar, programme manager at the Alif Laila Book Bus Society (ALBBS).

The reference library has a television, in front of which children gather to watch cartoons and shows, and also a programme under which authors the world over are invited to speak to the young readers via Skype.

A magical environment

Housing more than 12,000 books, the library has more than 1,700 registered members. Asma Mushtaq, the librarian, says creating an environment where children can enjoy reading is vital.

“Children often get books from our reference library and sit inside the bus to read because it offers greater fascination for them,” she explains.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2013.