Foundation

Upon the initiative of MP Walid Jumblatt in 1987, the building was restored and furnished to assume the role of a public library, which was equipped with various volumes, reference books, periodicals, and necessary equipment and run by a well trained and experienced staff. Upon his request, the library was annexed to the Ministry of Culture under the Council of Ministers Resolution No. 44, dated 9/10/1996, and thus became a public establishment. The mission of the library is: 1) To meet the needs of scholars, 2) To stimulate and develop the cultural movement, 3) To contribute to social awareness.

The association plays a specific and effective role in backing the National Library and complements the role of the Culture Ministry. The association is a legal and official institution, whose basic internal regulations have strictly defined its mission. The association strictly respects the coordination and harmony between the Library’s management and the Culture Ministry through its direct relation with the library’s Director (designated by the Ministry). The Director suggests plans to develop the library as a cultural and social center. The Director secures the adequate conditions and means aiming at allowing the Library to accomplish its mission and sallow its visitors to employ the reference sources and equipments. This cultural project (i.e., the National Library) has been under the tutelage of the Lebanese government, and more specifically the Cultural Ministry since 1996. This tutelage created an important new opportunity for the Library to realize its objectives in raising the level of the general public awareness, encouraging and backing up any creative activity, safekeeping the national heritage, and most importantly planning the general cultural orientation of the Lebanese state towards modernizing the cultural policy by ridding it from the crippling bureaucracy.

Why was the Library’s Friends Association established and who are the members?

It is evident that the Culture Ministry cannot cover alone the expenses of the Baakleen National Library. This created the need for such an association and its role as we formerly mentioned. The association was officially licensed by the interior Ministry attestation N’ 363 / Hd of September 30, 1993. The Association is composed of a group of Lebanese personalities, well known in the fields of science, society, culture, and education, who dedicated voluntarily a great part of their time and effort to help the Library’s management in the task of its development and enrichment.