City's libraries rely on donations

Karachi: The ancient Roman writer Marcus Cicero once said that if you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need, and it is sad to note that our great metropolis has a dearth of both.

The few libraries that do exist leave much to be desired in terms of book collections because in the absence of funding they rely mostly on donations from writers themselves, and what is even more regretful is that an overwhelming majority of these treasures of knowledge do not allow readers to borrow books to take home.

Liaquat National Library (LNL) is regarded as one of the largest in the city and is well known for the rich variety of literature it offers readers, but it too depends on the books it receives from writers or from the families of authors who have passed. However, LNL along with National Library Islamabad enjoy the legal powers to collect books from writers as well as publishers who are obligated to provide a copy of each of their books published in Pakistan.

Commenting on the restrictions faced by readers in terms of borrowing books, educationist and writer Prof Ali Haider Malik said that reading books in library rooms was often useful for students, but the general public was less likely to have infinite time on their hands to sit and go threw an entire novel or journal. He maintained that libraries must be allocated sufficient funds for acquiring books so as to not rely on second-hand books donated by others. A large sum was currently being spent on renovations and administration, he regretted, adding that in some cases even the budget allocated for purchasing books was spent on non-productive projects.

Other libraries in the city including Ghalib Library, Bedil Library, and Anjuman Tarrqi-e-Urdu were reliant on books donated by writers or non-governmental organisations (NGO). Since these donations were the primary source of the library's literature, there was no formal system to mange or monitor the variety of books that came in as well as their genres. Hence, readers should not expect the latest books on literature, art, culture, philosophy or any other subject and instead they should be satisfied with what was available as per donations.

Professor Malik highlighted the point that even when writers made generous donations, their books were not made available to readers. Around 30,000 books were given to Karachi University's library on behalf of the late writer Mushfiq Khawaja and it was decided that a specific section would be set up their placement, but nothing has been done in this regard.

Government departments along with the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) would previously allot a certain budget to purchase books from writers; however, this practice has now been abandoned, according to Malik.

There are prominent writers as well as educationists who have set up personal libraries in their homes which would be more useful to readers. Renowned Urdu critic and researcher, Dr Jameel Jalibi, is one of them. Also the former vice chancellor of Karachi University (KU), Jalibi's North Nazimabad residence has an entire floor dedicated to an impressive collection of literature that surpasses many of the city's public libraries. However, Malik noted that while their efforts were commendable, individuals such as Jalibi did not have the means to buy an infinite amount of books to add to their libraries or make available to the general public.