Jumbo Editorial Team
The World Book and Copyright Day, also known as the International Day of the Book or the World Book Days, has become one of most sought after events in many countries of the world. It’s an yearly event, celebrated on April 23, but the activities and festivities continue for the whole month.
The UNESCO, in an effort to promote reading, publishing and copyright, had first celebrated the Day in 1995. It’s very heartening to note that this annual event has gained momentum every where and indeed it’s serving the purpose of raising awareness in the third world countries in particular.
Histrically the UNESCO had decided that the World Book and Copyright Day would be celebrated on April 23 because of the Catalonian festival and because the date is also the anniversary of the birth and death of William Shakespeare, the death of Miguel de Cervantes, Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Josep Pla, the birth of Maurice Druon, Vladimir Nabokov, Manuel Mejía Vallejo and Halldór Laxness.
It was a natural choice for UNESCO's General Conference to pay a world-wide tribute to books and authors on this date, encouraging everyone, and in particular young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contributions of those who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity.
The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on April 23, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold.
The success of the World Book and Copyright Day has depended primarily on the support received from all parties concerned viz. authors, publishers, teachers, librarians, public and private institutions, humanitarian NGOs and the mass media, who have been mobilized in each country by UNESCO National Commissions, UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations, Associated Schools and Libraries, and by all those who feel motivated to work together in this world celebration of books and authors.
Upon the suggestion of the UNESCO, special attention was given to the evolution of book production, from writing to digital and future challenges, during the 2011 edition of the World Book and Copyright Day.
COMSATS has made significant strides in the domain of education. Considering the fact that COMSATS is a relatively young organization, they have developed reasonably good libraries and a wide collection of books. They have acquired a wide collection of books of fiction, Islamic studies and general reading.
The celebrations started with the walk at 9:45 am inaugurated by Convener Library Affairs Committee and Incharge of Academics, Dr Talat Afza, and Incharge library Information Services, Tariq Najmi. The path of the journey began from Lahore campus mosque and ended at the library. The head of all departments, faculty/staff members and a large number of students participated in the walk.
Dr Ghulam Qamar Abbassi was the guest of honour in the concluding ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, he said that books can play an important role in our lives and we should connect with the reading, wherever we are.
The CIIT has established a tradition of sorts by celebrating this auspicious day by organizing different activities and events for the stakeholders. This time round a walk and library mounted book exhibition were the main activities of the day. It was organized for raising awareness about the importance and benefits of developing reading habits among students.
The walk was led by Rector CIIT, Dr. S. M. Junaid Zaidi (S.I.) and he was followed by faculty members and students. There was a large turnout despite the hot and humid weather conditions.
The World Book and Copyright Day, also known as the International Day of the Book or the World Book Days, has become one of most sought after events in many countries of the world. It’s an yearly event, celebrated on April 23, but the activities and festivities continue for the whole month.
The idea for this celebration originated in Catalonia where on April 23, Saint George's Day, a rose is traditionally given as a gift for each book sold. 
