In collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Department of Public Libraries, the British Council’s Libraries Unlimited Programme has recently celebrated the National Library Day, under the theme ‘Porbo Boi Gorbo Desh, Bangabandhur Bangladesh’ on Wednesday.
On the occasion of National Library Day-2020 the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Department of Public Libraries has organised a rally, discussion meeting and cultural programme. The day started with a rally which was inaugurated by K M Khalid, MP, State Minister for Cultural Affairs. The rally started from the premises of the Department of the Public Libraries, taken a round through the TSC and ended at the Department of Public Libraries, Shahbagh, Dhaka. The British Council staff members participated in this rally. Then a discussion meeting took place at the Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium, Department of the Public Libraries, Dhaka.
K M Khalid, MP, State Minister for Cultural Affairs inaugurated the discussion meeting. Dr Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, MP, Agriculture Minister has attended as the chief guest for the discussion meeting.
Dr Md Zafar Iqbal, eminent writer and former Professor, Shahjajal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet presented the key note paper. Md Abdul Mannan Ilias, Director General (Additional Secretary) Department of Public Libraries has presided over the discussion meeting. During his speech as a chair, Md Ilias stated, the Libraries Unlimited Programme has been very supportive in developing new and innovative services for the government public libraries of Bangladesh. On the occasion of the National Library Day-2020, the British Council organised a sharing meeting on “Toy brick play activities in government public libraries of 64 districts” in the children’s reading room of the Sufia Kamal National Public Library. Md Abdul Mannan Ilias, Director General (Additional Secretary) Department of Public Libraries attended as the Chief Guest of this sharing meeting, Tom Miscioscia, Director British Council Bangladesh attended as the special guest. Among others the higher level government officials from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Public Libraries attended the sharing meeting. A toy brick play session was also organized with 30 children in the same venue. To celebrate the theme of the National Library Day-2020 the children built the Jatiyo Sangsad Bhaban with toy bricks under the leadership of Juditha Ohlmacher who already developed a model of Sangsad Bhaban after one year of labour and with 8000 toy bricks. This has been the third National Library Day. The first was recognised by the Government on February 5, 2018, to raise public awareness on libraries.
