We are delighted to announce our Library Outreach Programme, an initiative that will allow us to disseminate the literature and art encapsulated in the five print issues of The Aleph Review.
Sponsors who wish to help in this program can donate a sum of PKR 6500, in order to have a complete set of all five issues of The Aleph Review to be placed in a library. A special stamp inside the books will bear the donor's name in acknowledgement. If any library wishes to purchase the books on their own, they will also be charged this discounted sum.
Over the years, The Aleph Review has received submissions from beyond the major metropolises of Pakistan. We aim to expand our reach and are hopeful that this programme will make the works of all writers, poets and artists present in our pages more accessible to the public.
The programme is in its nascent stage and we would like to thank our superb intern Omer for setting it up for us.
Muhammad Omar Ali is a high school senior at International School Lahore. He undertook the difficult task of directing The Aleph Review's Library Outreach Programme. During the course of this year, Omer has researched and drawn up a list of more than 1500 libraries across Pakistan, and has already expedited a number of books to the first lot of college and university libraries that responded to us.
He says: “This summer when I was interning at Aleph, I volunteered to undertake this role full time. I am driven to make education an accessible resource for everyone. I have also worked with the Ministry of Education to devise a plan for remote based learning during COVID-19 by heading digitisation and equity in curriculum development. It gives me great pleasure to work on these projects because they allow me to fulfill my educational pursuits. Currently, I am applying to colleges in the US and Canada. I hope I can continue in this endeavor even in college.”
From researching to delivering, Omer took charge of the Outreach Programme admirably
We hope more students will join in this effort to place contemporary Pakistani literature in underserved and far-flung libraries.
If you wish to sponsor a set to a library, purchase on behalf of a library, or intern for the programme, please contact us at thealephreview@gmail.com with the subject line: Aleph Library Outreach.
We will also be publishing a list of the libraries to which we send the books, as well as the names of the donors.
Team Aleph