Mosul unveils mobile library with 1,000 books and digital resources

MOSUL — Readers in Mosul marked the opening of the city’s first mobile library, an initiative led by Abdul Sattar Abdul Jabbar, a university professor originally from Mosul now living in the Netherlands. The project was realized with support from the Mosul Heritage Foundation, the German Academy for Youth, and Korek Telecom.

Housed in a 40-passenger bus, the mobile library features wooden shelves holding 1,000 books, along with internet access and 10 computers connected to a digital library of over 1.5 million e-books.

“The library will travel through Nineveh’s cities and possibly across Iraq,” Abdul Jabbar told 964media. “It offers both physical books and an extensive digital library and provides free internet access. Solar panels power lighting, computers, a sound system, and air conditioning, promoting clean energy and sustainability.”

The idea originated after Abdul Jabbar encountered a mobile laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, three years ago. Inspired by the concept, he envisioned a similar resource for Mosul, where access to reading materials is limited.

Ayoub Thanoon, director of the Mosul Heritage Foundation, emphasized the library’s mission to promote reading and environmental awareness. “The library will visit public parks, schools, and universities in cooperation with related parties. Its mission is to spread a culture of reading and environmental awareness through alternative energy use amid climate challenges,” he said.