Call to set up more libraries

Lahore: Punjab University Department of Information Management and PU Library jointly organised a seminar titled “Role of Reading in Personality Development” to mark the World Book and Copyright Day on Friday.

Punjab Commission on Women Chairperson Dr Fouzia Waqar, Oriental College Principal Prof Dr Muhammad Fakhar-ul-Noori, Department of Information Management Chairperson Prof Dr Kanwal Ameen, poet Rehman Faris, faculty members, librarians and a large number of students attended the event.

Dr Fouzia Waqar said that book reading habits were reducing everyday in Pakistan while there was a strong link between the deep study and behaviours, emotions, feelings and awareness.

Dr Fakhar-ul-Haq Noori said the teachers should be more habitual of reading books as compared to their students. He said that books were good trainers and nobody could deny their importance. Dr Kanwal Ameen said that one could feel relaxation after reading literature. She said, "We knew about the hidden aspects of society through book reading. In this era, our schools have not any book reading corners, and the behavior of librarians at colleges was the main cause of not promoting reading culture."

Rehman Faris said that books were most important tool in character building and the parents, schools, colleges and universities should play their role in promoting reading habits. He said the government should reduce prices of books so that students could buy reading material from their own pockets. He said that there was no substitute to books.