At libraries, books alone can’t attract visitors

Without power or water, most people prefer to keep away during the summer.

ISLAMABAD:

If books could make up for lack of electricity and water, the six libraries in the capital which cater to hundreds of thousands of residents would surely be flooded with visitors.

Mazhar Iqbal Jalali, in charge of Sector F-11 community library, said, “There is no electricity from the first day in 2010,” he said. The number of visitors is touching 100, but in the unrelenting heat people avoid coming to the library as there is no power supply, Jalali stated. “When there is no electricity, there is no water, thus no visitors.”

The library has a collection of hundreds of books but the lack of facilities is keeping readers away.

In April 2008, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and the Department of Libraries to collaborate in the operation and management of community libraries and encourage residents to participate in educational programmes in the city.

According to the agreement, CDA was to provide janitorial services and electricity and ensure the building’s maintenance as well as security for visitors, while running expenses were to be borne by the latter.

There are community libraries in sectors G-7, G-8, G-11 and I-8 and I-10. The libraries in sectors G-8 and G-7 were started in containers. The children’s library once situated near Jamia Hafsa, which was demolished in the Lal Masjid operation has now shifted to Sector H-9. It is also without electricity and few people know about its new location.

Irfan Cheema is a member of the community library of Sector F-11. Unhappy with the sorry state of affairs at the library which is without electricity, water and washrooms, he told The Express Tribune, “Many of my friends and their families have now stopped going to the library and same is the case with me as it is difficult to spend time there in the heat.”

The library had electricity for a few days when it was inaugurated, but later a glitch in the nearby transformer cut it off. Six personal computers provided by CDA remain inoperative, only for one reason-unavailability of electricity.

“The CDA is supposed to provide maintenance and security services but they don’t bother,” said Ghayur Hussain, a research officer at the Department of Libraries. “The libraries are understaffed.” We have sent a summary for the approval of staff for libraries to the Ministry of Finance. We hope to staff our libraries soon,” he added.

Malik Hammad, a student of Mass Communication at the National University of Science and Technology, lives near the G-11 library but wonders at the absence of facilities. Lack of water, light and cleanliness keep visitors away, he said. “I used to come here with my laptop but I stopped visiting the library because of the unavailability of electricity as most of my research is only accessible online.”

The Libraries director general said CDA officials had given an assurance to address all grievances in the coming weeks. But three months on, librarians say they are still waiting to be provided basic facilities.

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