نَقْرَأُ فِي مَكْتَبَةِ عَدَن

فِي مَدِينَةِ عَدَنَ فِي جَنُوبِ الْيَمَنِ مَكْتَبَةٌ وَطَنِيَّةٌ كَبِيرَةٌ. بَدَأَتِ الْمَكْتَبَةُ عَمَلَهَا فِي سَنَةِ ١٩٨٠، وَكَانَتْ هَدِيَّةً مِنْ دَوْلَةِ الْكُوَيْتِ. عِنْدَمَا بَدَأَتْ، كَانَ فِيهَا قِسْمٌ لِلِاسْتِعَارَةِ، وَقِسْمٌ لِلْمَرَاجِعِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ وَالْأَجْنَبِيَّةِ. ثُمَّ كَبُرَتِ الْمَكْتَبَةُ. فِي سَنَةِ ١٩٨٣، فَتَحَتْ قِسْمًا لِلْكُتُبِ الْيَمَنِيَّةِ. وَفِي سَنَةِ ٢٠٠٣، فَتَحَتْ قَاعَةً بِاسْمِ الشَّاعِرِ لُطْفِي أَمَان. فِي الْقَاعَةِ سِتَّةُ آلَافِ كِتَابٍ، مِنْهَا كُتُبٌ حَدِيثَةٌ، وَكُتُبٌ لِلْبَحْثِ. وَنَظَّمَتِ الْمَكْتَبَةُ أَوَّلَ مَعْرِضٍ وَطَنِيٍّ لِلْكِتَابِ، وَشَارَكَتْ فِيهِ خَمْسَ عَشْرَةَ دَارَ نَشْرٍ. وَسَاعَدَ رَجُلَانِ الْمَكْتَبَةَ. أَعْطَاهَا الدُّكْتُورُ يَحْيَى الشُّعَيْبِيُّ سَبْعَةَ أَجْهِزَةِ كُمْبِيُوتَرٍ، وَتِسْعَةَ مُكَيِّفَاتٍ، وَكُتُبًا. وَأَعْطَاهَا رَجُلٌ آخَرُ أَرْبَعَمِئَةٍ وَخَمْسِينَ أَلْفَ رِيَالٍ. وَكَانَتْ مِئَةٌ وَخَمْسُونَ أَلْفًا مِنْهَا لِقِسْمِ الْأَطْفَالِ. وَكَانَ الْبَاقِي لِشَبَكَةِ كُمْبِيُوتَرٍ جَدِيدَةٍ، لِيَجِدَ الْقُرَّاءُ الْمَعْلُومَاتِ بِسُرْعَةٍ. فِي سَنَةِ ٢٠٠٦، كَانَ فِي الْمَكْتَبَةِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ قِسْمًا، وَأَكْثَرُ مِنْ خَمْسَةٍ وَسِتِّينَ أَلْفَ كِتَابٍ. وَكَانَتْ مَفْتُوحَةً كُلَّ أَيَّامِ الْأُسْبُوعِ، فِي الصَّبَاحِ وَفِي الْمَسَاءِ. وَكَانَ فِي الْمَكْتَبَةِ قِسْمٌ خَاصٌّ لِلْأَطْفَالِ، فِيهِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ أَلْفِ كِتَابٍ. وَكَانَ يَزُورُهَا أَلْفَانِ وَخَمْسُمِئَةِ شَخْصٍ كُلَّ يَوْمٍ. كَانَ الزَّائِرُ يَخْتَارُ كِتَابًا، وَيَقْرَؤُهُ فِي الْمَكْتَبَةِ. أَوْ يَسْتَعِيرُهُ، وَيَأْخُذُهُ إِلَى الْبَيْتِ.

In the city of Aden, in the south of Yemen, there is a big national library. The library started its work in 1980, and it was a gift from the State of Kuwait. When it started, it had a lending section and a section for Arabic and foreign reference books. Then the library grew. In 1983, it opened a section for Yemeni books. And in 2003, it opened a hall named after the poet Lutfi Aman. In the hall there are six thousand books, among them modern books and books for research. And the library organized the first national book fair, and fifteen publishers took part in it. Two men helped the library. Dr Yahia Al-Shoibi gave it seven computers, nine air conditioners, and books. And another man gave it four hundred and fifty thousand riyals. A hundred and fifty thousand of it was for the children’s section. And the rest was for a new computer network, so that readers could find information quickly. In 2006, the library had twelve sections and more than sixty-five thousand books. It was open