JEDDAH — Simply complaining without doing rarely accomplishes much. So, when highly effective people are dissatisfied with the status quo, they actually do something about it and they lead the changes they wish to see. Abdulrahman Hariri, a PhD researcher at University of Warwick and instructor in the Total Quality Management Program at King Abdulaziz University, noticed a sharp scarcity in the number and range of books available on scientific research in the libraries of the Kingdom's universities. He decided to take the initiative and become part of the solution to the problem — to become a catalyst of change and improve the conditions of our libraries. Hariri has launched the “Donate a Book” campaign which he popularized via social media and his scientific research blog to invite more people to give the gift of a book. “What led me to start the ‘Donate a Book' campaign is to help reduce the wide gap I have seen between what our libraries in the Arab world offer and what the libraries in the western world offer. “One huge difference is how libraries in the UK, for instance, offer access to a wide range of books and resources ranging from old to new and how leading universities create ideal learning environments and tools, libraries, and spaces provided for students. “The main goal of the campaign is to encourage everyone to participate in enriching our local libraries with useful and up-to-date resources and books,” Hariri told Saudi Gazette. While growing up, books were not part of Hariri's childhood, however he began discovering and appreciating the value of books as he advanced in his university studies. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in business management from King Abdulaziz University, he obtained his master's degree at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom. And now he is in the process of pursuing his PhD in researching, innovation, and innovation diffusion at the same university. The idea of the campaign is quite simple. Visit a library near you and get in touch with the librarian to find out if the books in your field of specialty are lacking. Purchase one or a couple books that are needed by the community and that interest you, sign the books, and donate them to the library. Anyone can participate in giving books, whether it is to a school, college, university, or city library. To share with others which book you donated and to help get more people involved, you can take a picture of yourself or of the book and post the photo on the campaign's website and write your name and the name of the library which received your donation. “To help spark more interest and to encourage others to donate, I have created a specific table on the campaign's website (DonateABook.info) where those who donated are able to add their names to the list of participants, where their names will be kept forever. This move will not only help encourage participation but it will also provide participants with some form of appreciation for their great contributions,” said Hariri. The Donate a Book campaign was announced only a few days ago and the response has been remarkable. The YouTube video Hariri made to explain the campaign has attracted nearly 5,000 views in less than five days. The main announcement of the campaign received over 8,300 likes and over 900 shares on Facebook alone. There seems to be great interest in the campaign so far, and Hariri hopes that everyone will participate and promote the campaign to help spread more books in our public libraries across the Kingdom. Nine years ago, Hariri developed a blog and established a Facebook community dedicated to paving the way for more articulate scientific research to be conducted in the Arab and Muslim world. The blog aims to outline the strategies of research and studies, developing surveys, collecting and analyzing data, reporting results, and forming conclusions that will be of benefit to the world community. With over 400,000 followers on Facebook, the scientific research page aims to aid thinkers in becoming inventors, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The articles posted helps the reader in areas such as how to patent an innovation, prepare a thesis for master's or doctorate program, and other useful information. The blog is akin to a support network for young, struggling scientists who may have been unable to find support or guidance elsewhere. “Giving back to the community is the responsibility of everyone. As Muslims, in the Hadeeth and the verses of the Qur'an encourage us to help spread knowledge and help those in need. “There have been many social initiatives that were launched over the years with great potential but lack of financial, moral, and social support led eventually to the demise of such useful initiatives. “Today the concept of social entrepreneurship is surfacing to distinguish those aiming to strive and work hard to help solve some of the world's problems, to help humanity make a better world and life,” added Hariri.
