MADINA: Bulldozers have begun tearing down the Kingdom's oldest public library belonging to the Ministry of Culture and Information to make way for the reconstruction of a new, improved facility. The 43-year-old building in the Al-Bahr district of Madina was, according to the ministry's library chief Matir Al-Amri, “beyond repair”. “The decision to demolish the library was taken after specialists assessed irreparable cracks in the structure,” Al-Amri said. “There were proposals to try and save it through repair and renovation, but it wouldn't have been of any use.” He said that his office would rent an alternative building next to Madina's Islamic University for two years until the new permanent library facility has been built. “The temporary site has two floors and can hold 13,000 works,” Al-Amri said. “It has a dedicated section for women and children and sections for training as well as reading rooms.”
