Muscat: The sight of this vehicle entering their towns or villages across the governorates in Oman is sure to make the children jump with joy. Imagine a bus or van loaded with all kinds of children's books along with a librarian and a story teller visiting your town or village often.
The joy and happiness it will bring to the lives of children across the Sultanate is unimaginable, especially when you consider the fact that libraries are in wanting around the country.
The project, Sindbad Mobile Library, which is a "books on wheels- concept, is likely to hit the Oman roads before the end of this year.
Anne Bouji, the force behind the Sindbad Mobile Library, explains that the objective behind launching this mobile library is straightforward. "It is to provide good books and library services for the children in Oman and to help develop a reading-for-pleasure habit among young people who are the country's future,- she says.
Anne informs that the Sindbad Mobile Library will travel around the governorates of Oman with a librarian, assistant and storytellers on board and work in conjunction with the Wali's offices, women's associations and the Ministry of Education.
"We will take books into towns and villages for children and families. Books can be borrowed, read and returned and exchanged for more books on the next visit of the Sindbad Mobile Library.
Most of the books will be in Arabic but we will have English books also. While we will have some books for adults, the main focus will be on books for children,- Anne informs.
Of course, setting up the Sindbad Mobile Library has not been an easy task, she avers.
While Anne hopes the library will see the light of the day soon, she is aware of the financial demands and difficulties to run a project like this.
"We need to raise RO100,000 and it will take time. But I am hopeful that we will see a library on the road before the end of this year. But that is just the beginning; we need a fleet of libraries to take books to each of the wilayat so that every child can have access to books,- she says.
In this context, a Sindbad Mobile Library fund raising dinner is being held on Tuesday in the ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel.
"This is a musical evening with the theme 'Around the World in Music'. A host of resident international talents will be performing to help us raise money for the mobile library,- she says. Funds have been raised through other events as well.
Al Roya Press and Publishing, in conjunction with Dar Al Atta'a Let's Read Campaign, is working on setting up and running the Sindbad Mobile Library.
"The Sindbad Mobile Library project was originally the initiative of Al Roya, but because we share a love of books and reading as do the Dar Al Atta'a 'Let's Read Campaign', they ('Let's Read') agreed to join forces with us so that together we can provide good quality books for children in Oman and help them develop a love of reading,- says Anne.
She adds, "Nothing happens without team work and a lot of hard work on behalf of all of those who have committed to making this project work. Jane Jaffer and the Let's Read group have been terrific and are working hard for the project.-
This initiative is certain to promote reading as a fun activity for children around the Sultanate and would be welcomed by parents too.
