KLA dignitaries recognized in Syed Khalid Mahmood’s author session at Habib Public School

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The top officials of the Karachi Library Association (KLA) were recognized by the Principal of the famed Habib Public School during the Author Session, conducted by Syed Khalid Mahmood, an eminent media personality and library activist, as a part of the International Literacy Day celebrations. 

Farheen Mahmood, President, KLA, and Shama Bano, Senior Vice President, KLA, were specially invited at the event as the guests of honour. They were also escorted to the Senior Library where they went around its various sections. 

“The library team thoroughly appreciates your efforts in reviving the reading culture in society through your activities and initiatives from the platform of the KLA,” Rubina Merchant, Head of Library Science at Habib Public School, reckoned. 

The Principal of the school, Minhas Tejani, presented mementoes to both the guests of honour as well as to the man of the moment, author Syed Khalid Mahmood, who also happens to be the Advisor to KLA. 

The author session on the subject of ‘explore the world of sports through books’ turned out to be an extremely lively event as a large number of students from Class VI to VIII participated actively in it and showed a lot of inclination towards creative activities. The participants displayed hunger for reading and listening to stories of outstanding athletes besides other high-achievers.

KLA delegation attends digital library inauguration at Nusrat Bhutto College

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Other than participation of a delegation of the Karachi Library Association (KLA), the inauguration ceremony of digital library at Nusrat Bhutto Degree College in Lyari, Karachi, on September 19 turned out to be a lackluster affair. 

The Director General of Colleges, Government of Sindh, Prof Shadab Hussain, who was the designated chief guest, didn’t turn up for the event The Regional Director of Colleges, Prof Suleman Sayal, in his presidential address spoke about various challenges being faced by his department without even touching the subject of digitalization of libraries. 

The Principal of Nusrat Bhutto Degree College, Prof Muhammad Rauf, also didn’t deem it proper to share details of the digital library which was being inaugurated which looked quite strange to the participants of ceremony, which featured heads of various other colleges of the area. 

The college librarian, Abdul Wajid Chandio, who also happens to be the Joint Secretary of KLA, conducted the proceedings in an impressive manner but it were the majority of the speakers who didn’t deem it proper to talk about the subject of the day which was digitalization of library. 

The KLA President, Farheen Mahmood, was the only speaker to briefly touch the subject. The KLA Advisor, Syed Khalid Mahmood, was also present on the occasion.

KLA President believes in letting work do all talking

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Unlike the majority of her contemporaries, the Founder President of Karachi Library Association (KLA), Farheen Mahmood, firmly believes in letting the work do all the talking instead of making noise simply by engaging into publicity stunts.

“The media coverage of events is obviously vital which has to be earned but setting high standards. The best way to stay in the news is to keep performing at the stage. From the platform of KLA we plan to be doing lots of things to boost the image of the librarians as well as serve the cause of general public,” the soft-spoken seasoned library professional remarked in a brief chat with PNFS on September 13. 

Currently working as Chief Librarian at the iconic Adamjee Government College, after having served as Principal of the Government Degree College for Women Sector 11-I North Karachi, where she had set a new trend by organizing a fun-filled and action-packed Library Day in February 2022, Farheen foresees a bright future for KLA. 

“The KLA founding members are committed to the profession and all of them also care for the society. We feel blessed to have gathered such a strong team which has already started making vibes due to its sincere efforts and regular activities,” she pointed out.

“The KLA will be sustaining this momentum as all the founding members are on board to drive the Association with their constant participation. It’s really fulfilling for me to be leading a well-knit team of such dedicated professionals all of whom are raring to go,” Farheen concluded.

KLA, RCKD support in setting up first-ever library at government school of Karachi

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Karachi Library Association (KLA) and the Rotary Club of Karachi Darakhshan (RCKD) extended support in setting up the first-ever library at a government school of Karachi and the dream came true with the inauguration of a library at Rabia Basri Girls Secondary School, housed in Block 17 of Federal-B-Area, on September 12. 

The KLA Founder President, Farheen Mahmood, accompanied by Syed Khalid Mahmood (Advisor), Ali Asghar Dars (Joint Secretary) and Professor Amir Subhani, attended the simple but graceful ceremony in which the large number of donated books were also displayed. 

The KLA functionaries expressed their delight at the enthusiasm of the school management and advised them to retain the intensity. 

On behalf of RCKD, its President, Farzana Moghul, Charter President, Jahangir Moghul, and Immediate Past President, Awais Moghul, congratulated the school management as well as the officers of the District Municipal Corporation (DMC), Karachi Central, for initiating the library project and they hoped that other government schools will also plan establishing libraries at their campuses to facilitate students and teachers more effectively. 

Both the organizations, KLA and RCKD, have donated a substantial number of books to help Rabia Basri School build a useful collection of different genres from the outset. The high quality of books, which included dictionaries, was thoroughly appreciated by the students as well as the teachers. 

The officials of KLA and RCKD, after attending the inauguration ceremony at the school library, also visited different classrooms where they strongly urged the students to make the best use of the books by reading them and also reviewing them in order to improve their scholastic abilities.

The inauguration ceremony of library at Rabia Basri School was also attended by the government officers, both serving and retired. They appreciated the spirit of KLA and RCKD in extending support to the school in setting up a library. They did not mince words in stating that lot was needed to be done for the society and the task could only be accomplished with all stakeholders remained on board. 

KLA’s efforts to revive public libraries get instant results

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The efforts for the revival of public libraries by the Karachi Library Association (KLA) have brought immediate success as Colonel Sher Khan Library, situated in Block 10 of Federal-B-Area, which was locked for ages, has now been reopened in a matter of just a couple of weeks. 

Accompanied by the officers of the District Municipal Corporation (DMC), Karachi Central, a delegation of the KLA, headed by its President, Farheen Mahmood, and also including its Advisor, Syed Khalid Mahmood, had visited the premises of Colonel Sher Khan Library for the first time on August 29. 

They could not enter the library hall because its keys were unavailable and the surrounding area was in complete disarray because the facility had stayed locked for the last many years. 

Following a series of meetings between the KLA office-bearers and the government officials as well as the elected representatives during the last two weeks, ways and means were discussed at length to revive Colonel Sher Khan Library besides taking remedial actions. 

The seriousness of all stakeholders brought about immediate rewards and the library itself hosted a meeting of the stakeholders on September 12, which was nothing short of a miracle. It augurs well for the area people as they had been demanding for its restoration for quite some time. 

The KLA leadership in particular deserves praise for having taken up the issue with the concerned authorities and also following it up with them on a regular basis to achieve the goal of reviving public libraries in Karachi.