BY TEWODROS KASSA
Most people who achieve the best in life attribute books as key ingredients to their feats. Reading cultivates small beginnings to address global problems. Especially at this diverse, interconnected and fast changing world where global information is altering so swiftly, to understand the reality, stay informed and go along with the change, reading plays a crucial role.
Unfortunately, it is witnessed that numerous researchers and students face difficulties in accessing books and other reading materials easily; mainly in Africa. The major reasons behind this include poor economic performance and the lower attention given for expanding public libraries.
Currently, the idea of building largest libraries and expanding public libraries has gained global attention; and leaders across the world is giving due attention to avail books to the new generations.
According to an OCLC data updated in 2016, China and Russia have the largest number of public libraries in the world with 51,311 and 46,000 public libraries respectively. India stands third with 29,800 public libraries spread across the entire country.
In Ethiopia, since the past few years following the growing demand for accessing books, the number of public libraries and readers is increasing. Owing to this and to meet the growing demand among youths, various public libraries have been built across the country. The recently inaugurated public library, Abrehot Library, is the one in this regard. Built at a cost of over 1.1 billion Birr, and lies on 19,000 square meters plot of land, Abrehot is the largest library in Ethiopia.
Of late, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on Ethiopians at home and abroad to donate books for Abrehot Library to nurture a reader generations thereby contributing their share to the effort geared towards cultivating the current and the coming generation.
Responding to Premier’s request, Bethlehem Solomon Ph.D. candidate in British donated some five hundred books amounting to 5.5 million Birr, and promised to continue contributing such kind of donation to the library.
Besides, Ambassador Markos Tekle donated 904 books of Encyclopedia he had collected and kept for 40 years, and family of the deceased Addis Ababa University Lecturer contributed nearly one thousand books.
Micro Link Institute has also donated 300 books and the library has received 7000 books from various individuals and institutes in aggregate.
Attending the handing over ceremony, Prime Minister Abiy acknowledged the donors who have donated books for the Abrehot Library indicating that donors’ contribution is an exemplary action for others.
Expressing that building the library alone has nothing to do with the generation, he said that giving and sharing have to be communities’ culture. Hence, equipping the library with vital books is crucial. As it was planned to collect many books in the month to come, all Ethiopians are expected to leave their fingerprints in the effort made to produce productive, civic-minded and competitive generation via contributing all sorts of telling books.
Including this donation, the Library has so far been donated with 12 thousand books from various donors. This was done by the committee established by the Premier; and the library requires four million books in total.
Abrehot embraces tremendous books, magazines, newspapers as well as other reading materials that help researchers, teachers, writers, journalists, among others to find books easily and nurture their profession. Therefore, the contribution of every citizen is fundamental to realize the vision of availing diversified books in the Library for users.
Incorporating numerous and diversified books will make the Library a preferable destination for researchers, students, youths, and various professionals.
More importantly, the Library’s location is being in the centre of Addis Ababa and in a short distance to Addis Ababa University and other colleges will easily motivate users to visit the library in a daily basis. As it embraces systematically categorized catalogue; it helps to promote the habit of reading through expanding the opportunities of finding reading materials in a properly managed and modern library.
Thus, the active engagement of stakeholders, higher learning institutions, individuals, among others is important to equip the library with the required materials and make all library resources available to users.
Today’s different institution’s and individual’s gift of books to the library will become tomorrow’s most valuable gift to those who find it in the library in time of need.
In sum, “A room without books is like a body without a soul” and “be a lifelong student, read as many books as possible” the best quotes by former South African President Nelson Mandela best expresses the importance of reading books regularly and opening library for cultivating a prudent future generations.
As it is learnt, Abrehot Library, an Amharic word that means enlightenments, is one of the top ten libraries in Africa. The Library was initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and took eighteen months and a budget of 1.15 billion Ethiopian Birr for completion. It is open to the public and is under the administration of Addis Ababa University (AAU).
The Library It is located in Arat Kilo, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in front of the parliament building on Niger Street. It is built on 38,687-meter squares of land.
The library building is rectangular on the outside and has a veranda with seven poles. On these poles are words written in eighteen languages believed to have their alphabet. Amharic is represented by tibeb which translates to wisdom.
Besides the extensive library, Abrehot, has a recreational area, playground, amphitheatres, eight bookstores, and a cafeteria. The interior of the building has four circular floors and a small garden at the centre. It has stairs and three elevators.
The basement has unique reading rooms for books that require special attention, including those written on leather. These rooms are only allowed for certain people with permission.
The basement also has a security control room, database, stores, high standard staff kitchen and dining area, and parking. The parking is suitable for the differently-abled and has space enough for 115 cars.
Currently, the Library is stuffed with different reading materials, of which 240,000 are paperless, and over 450,000 research papers (340,000 local and 120,000 international) in the library.
Most of the books are in Amharic and English. But they aim to include books written in other languages and reach 1.4 million. All are welcome to donate a
The Ethiopian Herald April 16/2022
