RAWALPINDI, March 15: Books and libraries have great importance in nation-building and put countries on the path to progress, Norwegian embassy counsellor Alfe Arney Ramslien said.

Speaking at a function arranged by the Municipal Library after completion of its renovation, he said his government had been helping Pakistan in the fields of education and literature, and this assistance would continue in future.

District Nazim Raja Tariq Kiani, speaking on the occasion, said the district government was considering opening libraries in the far-flung rural areas to help educate the people in the backward localities.

Giving details of the renovation carried out with the assistance of the Norwegian embassy, he said three computers (P- 4), a photocopier machine, bookshelf, bookcases and furniture were provided to the library. It is for the first time since 1982 that the library has been renovated in such a proper way.

The district Nazim said about 8,000 precious books were lost and many more damaged by the July 23 floods last year. To make up for this big loss, the education ministry provided 3,000 books, while 5,000 books were donated by the French embassy.

The library in charge, Tahir Mehmood Khan, said the library was the third largest in Punjab with about 38,000 books and other facilities. He said according to international rules, five per cent of the books in a library could be lost annually due to thefts and damages, but the Municipal Library had the distinction of not loosing even a single book, except for the damage it sustained during the floods.