Iyad Ameen Madani, Minister of Culture and Information, has revealed a comprehensive plan to improve public libraries in the Kingdom.

Madani said the Ministry and King Abdul Aziz Public Library in Riyadh were working together to improve library collections and make material accessible electronically.

The minister, speaking during a visit to Jeddah Public Library on Sunday, admitted that it did not meet the expectations of Jeddah Governorate and its residents and the ministry.

He said there were a number of cultural institutions in Jeddah, such as King Abdul Aziz University, and a project has been on the table for several years to establish a public library overseen by the university. The building has been completed and will be operational when the financial resources are available.

Madani said: “We are working to support all projects that will ultimately lead to Jeddah having a number of public libraries providing its residents with services forming a foundational source of knowledge.”

He expressed the ministry’s hope to have a stake in the King Fahd Public Library Project at Old Airport, which he described as faltering for reasons unrelated to the ministry. The building was constructed on the outskirts of the King Abdul Aziz University campus, a densely populated area, and designed to function as a public library. The ministry will work with the university and the Ministry of Finance to make the project a reality.

“If this building does not become a public library operated by the ministry,” Madani said, “then it should at least be a public library meeting the needs of the city of Jeddah.”

“The Ministry has plans and ambitions to make these public libraries real entities. For this reason, I am keen to visit a large number of libraries.”

The minister stressed that the ministry has renovated conference and ceremony halls at some category A libraries for cultural events, and that the ministry views all cultural institutions, including literary clubs, cultural and art societies, and public libraries, as serving a single integrated purpose. He noted the continuous enrichment of library book collections and their upgrading to serve not only the education sphere but also the general public.


By Matouq Al-Shareef

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