Mrs Mubarak hails libraries' role in nurturing young readers
Egypt, Education, 7/11/2002

Egypt's First Lady Suzanne Mubarak yesterday praised the role of public libraries in helping and encouraging the nation's children and young people practice their creative hobbies in a very healthy atmosphere, free from the presence of undesirable influences or people.

Following an inspection tour to three Giza-based public libraries participating in the 12th 'Reading for All' festival, Mrs Mubarak said that she was pleased to see that the number of children and young people frequenting these facilities was on the rise.

She also said that she made these regular inspection tours in order to have a first-hand idea about the actual needs of children and young people, listen to their views and comments on the festival, as well as to find the best means for meeting their demands.

Mrs Mubarak, who visited el-Bahr el-Azaam, Khalid ibn el-Waleed, and the Mrs Mubarak facilities, said that she noticed that an increasing number of regular library goers had manifested excellent artistic and scientific talents that deserved to be adopted and looked after by the government as well as the Integrated Care Society, which she chairs.

Over the past 12 years, these libraries have been successful in providing the nation's children and young people with their intellectual needs with books, computer services as well as the facilities required for practising their creative hobbies, Mrs Mubarak told reporters.

The Society would organise extended regular meetings with the children and young people of Giza and Cairo in order to know their views on the festival, to hear what they had gained from it and consequently be able to appraise its activities over the last 12 years, she added.

The public libraries, which are available nationwide, had achieved their intellectual goal of spreading the love of reading among children and young people at national and provincial levels, Mrs Mubarak said.

She has also reiterated her call on all parents to encourage their offspring to join the closest public library to their home, because every year there are new activities that are compatible with the contemporary demands.

This year's activity, she said, focuses on teaching children computer and Internet skills as the libraries are provided with computer sets and trainers.

Moreover, Mrs Mubarak added, the activity also includes offering reading materials and computer courses to children and young people with sight problems.

In her tour of the Giza-based libraries, Mrs Mubarak and her accompanying delegation toured the reading, computer and hobby rooms, where they were briefed about the activities and services offered to children and young people during the summer vacation.

In el-Bahr el-Azaam Public Library, which was founded in 1989 and renovated and expanded in 1999, Mrs Mubarak met with children and teenagers in the reading room and listened to a detailed description about a project they had implemented to increase people's awareness of preserving the environment.

She praised the project and called on the children to keep the environment clean and healthy.

"Keeping the environment clean should be a way of life and a habit," she told the children.

Mrs Mubarak also inspected the computer room, which has 22 PCs and can accommodate 22 trainees at the same time.The room provides excellent computer training to children and teenagers.

Afterwards, Mrs Mubarak visited the library's 52-seat theatre hall, where she attended a musical show performed by the library choral and music band.

Later, Mrs Mubarak moved to Khalid Ibn el-Waleed Public Library, which was opened in 1991 and renovated in 2000, where she inspected the children's activities, which include reading, drawing, music, singing, and computer training.

Later, Mrs Mubarak held an open debate during which she listened to the children's views and proposals for upgrading their library. Then, she attended a musical show conducted by the library's children choral and music band.

At the end of her inspection tour, she visited the Suzanne Mubarak Library, which was inaugurated in 1991, where she listened to a detailed briefing about its services to the children.

The library has a large collection of children's books and periodicals, a computer learning section, a hobbies section, and a big playground.

It also has separate premises, which contains a library for adults. This library has 24,000 books, a reading hall, and a computer section.

It also has 1,800 books, as well as 20 computer sets that have been specially designed for readers and users with poor eyesight.

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