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LIBRARY CONNECTIONS BACKGROUND AND UPDATES

Mahjabeen Quadri (mahjq@yahoo.com)
SARID Project Coordinator Boston, MA
October 2003

The Consulate General of Pakistan, Boston, USA, and the South Asia Research Institute for Policy and Development (SARID) are sponsoring a group of graduate students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, who are involved in an educational initiative aimed at enhancing the book collections of libraries in Pakistan.

SARID is currently assisting in the setting up of a network for the acquisition of library books from the United Statesof America to Pakistan. The cause of helping libraries in Pakistan to meet international standards, and to facilitate research, through easy access to information was started in 2000 by Irfan Chaudhary, a PhD student in the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his visits to Pakistan, he had observed a sharp contrast in the library environment and facilities available to researchers in Pakistan as compared to their colleagues in developed countries. He concluded that outdated facilities and limited access to books have discouraged the growth of a library culture, which has been detrimental to the intellectual growth of society. He began to view libraries as a potential platform for collaborations between local and expatriate Pakistanis working to further research in Pakistan.

Since then he has gathered around him a group of like-minded Pakistani graduate students that include Amer Iqbal at Harvard University, Asad Naqvi at the University of Pennsylvania, Omar Khan at the University of Engineering and Technology and Mahjabeen Quadri at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The books have been donated by the MIT Libraries and various Pakistani expatriates who are eager to pass on scientific books but previously had no channel to do so. Their efforts have resulted in a collection that boasts about 10, 000 college level book titles spanning both the arts and sciences and catering to the needs of college students and researchers.

The first shipment of books will be reaching Pakistan in November 2003. SARID has made this possible by providing both logistic support as well as financial assistance. SARID will continue its support in the setting up of the distribution network in Pakistan during the next upcoming year.

Related Article:

New editions of textbooks wreaking havoc for students, Boston Metro, USA, January 30, 2004
A recent study says that 76 percent of professors thought that new additions are generally unnecessary.

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