BEIRUT: Eight public libraries across Beirut and its suburbs will stay open late Friday night for an evening of free cultural events including puppet shows, films, and concerts.
This is the inaugural year for “Libraries Night,” but the organizers – The Culture Ministry, Goethe Institut, French Cultural Center, Institute Cervantes, and Assabil – have put together a wide range of activities for library-goers of all ages to enjoy.
The Monnot Library will host a oud concert by Mustafa Saiid at 7 p.m., and Jad Hirari will play Spanish guitar at the Library at the Cervantes Institute at 8 p.m.
The CLAC libraries in Sin al-Fil and Haret Hreik will both become the stage for puppet shows, at 6 and 7 p.m. in Sin al-Fil, and at 6:30 p.m. in Haret Hreik.
Sin al-Fil’s CLAC library will also host a “Werner Herzog event,” celebrating the eccentric German director’s work with a screening of his 1993 documentary “Bells from the Deep” about Russian mysticism. There will also be a photo exhibition about Herzog. These events commence at 8 p.m.
Beirut’s library bus, the Kotobus, will be parked at the Corniche between 6 and 8 p.m., offering an exhibit and activities on the theme of “science is fun.”
In addition to the schedule of events, several libraries will also be offering guided tours of their facilities and the libraries themselves will simply be open for late night browsing. As Doris Summer, project manager at Assabil (Friends of Public Libraries Assocation) puts it, visitors will be free “simply to discover the treasures of each library: books, magazines, music CDs, films, Internet, new reading devices like iPads and more.” – The Daily Star
For a full schedule of the events, visit goethe.de/ins/lb/bei or call 01-422-291.