Residents in the district of Samarahan
will now have access to a modernised library thanks to the completion of the Samarahan
District Council Public Library’s new building that was made open to the public
in November 2006.
Prior to this, the library was housed in
the district council’s building. Undoubtedly, such cramped quarters proved to
be inadequate for storing books not to mention creating an uncomfortable
reading space for its members.
Thus, the district council made a proposal to
the state government for funds to build an entirely new building for the
purpose of constructing a library that would be able to cater towards Kota
Samarahan’s growing population, as reflected by the increasing number of
residential housing estates within the area.
Also, the establishment of higher educational institutions in Kota
Samarahan such as the UiTM and UNIMAS campuses had inadvertently created an
influx of university students whom would need a resource centre for reference
books and materials that were not necessarily readily available at these
institutions.
The proposal was then approved and carried out as an 8th
Malaysia Plan (8MP) project, with construction beginning in November 2004. It
was successfully completed in April 2006, amounting to a total cost of RM 2.67
million and handed over to the district council later that year in September.
At present, the new library building is considered to be a key
component in terms of strengthening Kota Samarahan’s image as a ‘Town of
Knowledge’ in Sarawak. Not only does it have the capability to encourage the
local community to become knowledgeable and well informed, but it will also highlight
the importance of reading amongst people of a broad age spectrum.
The
library’s new facilities include people-friendly reading areas, an ‘InfoTech’
area for children and computers for accessing the library’s catalogue. As for
the library’s book collection, the new building’s spaciousness has enabled the
staff to easily catalogue and shelve the books, which range from both local and
foreign books, magazines, journals and various reference materials.
Let us hope that the new library will continue to be steadfast in
line with the district council’s plan to popularise reading amongst the people
of Samarahan.
Acknowledgement
and thanks to Puan Salmah of the Samarahan District Council Public Library
