Cool Story via Shelf-Awareness on “the camel librarian.”
Masha Hamilton’s novel, The Camel Bookmobile, published earlier this year by HarperCollins, was inspired by the work of the Camel Mobile Library Service, an outreach program launched in 1996 by the Kenya National Library Service. Masha tells us that the real camel librarian, Rashid Farah, is now seeking a scholarship to continue his studies in the U.S. and then return to Garissa, Kenya.
In an e-mail, Farah wrote, “In the case of librarianship, I was first person ever in this province to attain a certificate in library studies in 1989. I was also lucky to have been sponsored for a three-year diploma in information studies at Kenya Polytechnic, which I successfully completed in 2003.”
According to Masha, “All the librarians I’ve known are inspiring, and Mr. Farah is something of a hero, determined to bring books into the bush where they’ve never been before, and in this way breaking through barriers and creating new possibilities in the lives of his patrons. But he very much wants to continue to develop professionally, and I’d love to see him helped.”
Any LISNewsterz have any suggestions for assisting Mr. Farah in his campaign for continuing education? For more information, visit Masha’s website or e-mail her at Masha Hamil.
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