World Library and Information Congress, Milan, 2009 - IFLA

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Françoise Lefebvre-Danset
Figure 5. Training session.
of Doha and Dar Salah grew to over 3000
volumes and 7 multimedia posts were installed
in the library of Dar Salah. A new extension of
the program introduces the municipal library
of Battir – a village almost entirely enclosed by
Israeli territory – with the library in the town hall
and already equipped, thanks to donations from
volunteers.
A proposed extension to the village of Husan,
where a librarian is trying to follow the training,
is worth mentioning, the Mayor offering to make
space available. The fi rst books purchased are
placed in the kindergarten.
For 2009, it is expected to continue the program
of equipment of libraries, the development of
collections and skills, and the extension of the
project to the most remote villages such as Wadi
Nees, a village in the South.
But back to the census of existing libraries, from
visits that we were able to make: three university
libraries, including Bethlehem University, Al Quds
Open – being installed in its new premises – and
the new private university Falastin El Ahleyyah;
fi ve public libraries – Dar Salah, Doha, Beit Jala,
Battir, and the Pontifi cal Mission in Bethlehem;
the association libraries of the Ghirass Centre for
Youth, of Alrowwad, of the Phoenix Foundation,
and a number of school libraries and children’s
centres, such as the kindergarten of Za’ttara, the
library of the Alliance Française at the Peace
Centre, etc.
In future the establishment of a more ambitious
project for the establishment of a joint library
service in the Governorate of Bethlehem and the
networking of all existing libraries seems the inevitable
step to sustaining a true system of reading
and information which should serve as a model
to extend to other governorates.
Indeed, if the attempted census conducted at our
request by the governorate in December 2007 did
not correspond to our expectations because, like