Fourth edition of used book fair opens

Fourth edition of used book fair opens

Fourth edition of used book fair opens
The Used Book Fair, held under the theme, ‘The Treasure of Knowledge', runs until Friday, and aims to promote the value of books, as well as highlight the importance of developing a culture of reading in the community.

By Mariam Al Serkal, Staff Reporter Published: 00:00 March 2, 2011 Reader comments (0)
Sharjah: The Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services on Tuesday launched the fourth edition of the Used Book Fair at Khalid Lagoon.

The Used Book Fair, held under the theme, ‘The Treasure of Knowledge', runs until Friday, and aims to promote the value of books, as well as highlight the importance of developing a culture of reading in the community.

Jihad Al Taher, head of the organising committee at the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), told Gulf News that nearly Dh200,000 was raised from last year's edition of the event, and that all the funds raised during the fair are sent to the various departments that operate under the SCHS.

"The funds go towards various services, which include purchasing wheelchairs or aiding a department that may lack funds. Some parents are unable to pay the fees for their children at some of our schools, so we distribute the money and pay for the remainder of the fees," said Al Taher.

He pointed out that around 55 private and public schools, and three universities participated in this year's fair, in addition to 50 institutes, including the Japanese and Chinese embassies, Sharjah Police and the Juma Al Majid Centre. The used books are offered at between Dh1 and Dh20, and all the books are provided by school students.

"Beginning in October, we distributed circulars in schools requesting students to donate their old books for the fair. We are open to all books in any language as long as they are not academic ones," Al Taher said.

"If visitors pass by and want to donate books, they are welcome to do so. Each stand has about 1,000 books, and the SCHS has one stand for miscellaneous donors, so visitors can drop their books there."

He added that if there are still many books left on display by Friday, their prices would be slashed, and the books remaining unsold even after that will be kept and used for next year's event.

Details

What: Used Book Fair in Sharjah
Where: Palm Garden at Khalid Lagoon
When: March 1-4; 10am to 10pm

Will you be attending the Used Book Fair? Do you think reading is still a popular activity? Or have other media taken over?

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