{"id":8840,"date":"2025-05-28T21:05:32","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T21:05:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=8840"},"modified":"2025-05-28T21:05:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T21:05:32","slug":"capital-libraries-face-decline-in-visitor-footfall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/?p=8840","title":{"rendered":"Capital libraries face decline in visitor footfall"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>With the rise of immersive technologies, book reading has become a rarity and libraries are struggling to attract visitors in the federal capital.<\/p>\n<p>Major public libraries in the city, including the National Library of Pakistan in Sector G-5, Aiwan-e-Quaid Library at Fatima Jinnah Park, CDA Public Library and Reading Hall in Sector G-11, Smart Street Library in Sector F-6, and Islamabad Public Library in Sector H-9, are facing dwindling footfall.<\/p>\n<p>Once revered as temples of knowledge, libraries now stand deserted \u2014\u00a0a testament to the decline of a culture that once cherished books.<\/p>\n<p>Once bustling with book lovers, libraries now sit empty, reflecting the waning interest in reading.<\/p>\n<p>Muhammad Taimoor Qureshi, an official from Read Pakistan, described the decline in reading culture as a concerning threat.<\/p>\n<p>He attributed it to several factors, including limited access to quality education and libraries.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To address this challenge, establishing more libraries and increasing book availability is crucial,&#8221; he suggested.<\/p>\n<p>Taimoor emphasised the need for a national reading policy and community engagement, which he believes could help spark a positive change.<\/p>\n<p>He shared a special message for the youth, urging them to embrace reading as a path to personal growth and empowerment.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Align your daily routines with your schedules, and try to dedicate at least fifteen minutes a day to reading. Reading is like an ocean, filled with a motley of wonderful pearls that lead you to the horizon of knowledge. It not only enriches you intellectually but also paves the way toward success and the affluence of wisdom,&#8221; Taimoor added.<\/p>\n<p>Shafique, a library administrator, said, &#8220;It&#8217;s heartbreaking to see libraries empty. Books were once our gateway to knowledge and imagination.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>He attributed the declining interest in reading to the rise of digital media and shifting lifestyles. &#8220;People are more inclined toward social media and online content,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s a challenge to make reading appealing to the younger generation,&#8221; he stated.<\/p>\n<p>A graduate student, Ali, echoed similar thoughts and said he prefers watching videos or scrolling through my phone rather than reading a book. The decline in the reading culture is a concerning issue that warrants serious attention and immediate action by the relevant authorities, it was recommended.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the rise of immersive technologies, book reading has become a rarity and libraries are struggling to attract visitors in the federal capital. Major public libraries in the city, including the National Library of Pakistan in Sector G-5, Aiwan-e-Quaid Library at Fatima Jinnah Park, CDA Public Library and Reading Hall in Sector G-11, Smart Street [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-english-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8840\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ipp-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}