First Lady opens Kigali public library

The First Lady, Jeanette Kagame, yesterday officially opened the new public library, Rwanda Library Services.The project that was initiated by Rotary Club of Kigali – Virunga has a collection of about 35,000 books and an estimated 15,000 e-Resources.Mrs. Kagame said it was one of the many libraries which will be built in the country as part of efforts to cultivate a reading culture among Rwandans. She cited the annual reading day, among the other efforts geared at deepening literacy in the country. “This library is much more than a building filled with shelves of books; it’s a gateway and window to the world. On the pages of the countless books are opportunities for our youth to create a limitless universe, one where they satisfy their curiosity and feed their imagination while developing personal values,” she said.The First Lady noted that the cultivation of a reading culture through the library was part of the government’s wider development agenda.The function also marked the end of the Reading Day campaign, an Imbuto Foundation initiative that aims at encouraging children to explore the pleasure of reading and writing.The library has several sections, including children and teenagers and adult sections, which all have shelves and reading space.The building also has an African section that includes history and literature, an internet café which enables the readers to have access to the e-Library and a reference section.The Rotary Club obtained support of the Government to complete the construction and has taken over its management.The total cost of the library was Rwf4.1bn which included design, construction, furniture and equipment.

National

First Lady opens Kigali public library