Never undervalue the revolutionary potential of libraries. Libraries frequently serve a variety of social functions that go beyond serving as reading rooms, such as serving as safe spaces and repositories of information as well as facilitating and accelerating social mobility, both of which are essential for a thriving civil society and a democratic government.
Libraries are a lifeline for Marya Rehman. The neighborhood library allowed her as a working-class child in East London to expand her thinking, articulate herself more clearly, and think about the world outside her front door.
Additionally, it inspires her to pursue greatness in everything she does, including excelling academically, attending Cambridge University to study social and political science, and following her career goals. Maarya continues to support libraries and their innate ability to transform lives as the newly appointed National Director of the British Council Sri Lanka.
She worked as a public library specialist in London and the UK before joining the British Council, where she concentrated on modernizing library services and addressing the evolving requirements of 21st-century libraries and their users.
She chuckled, referring to the unofficial title of one of her numerous library projects, “Libraries shouldn’t be silent, they should be yelling.” In a TED talk, she discusses the power of libraries and their significance as gathering spaces for people from all walks of life. She is an ardent supporter of library empowerment.
She was part in the global launch of the Digital Wall project, which was launched in Pakistan, and she shares the view that it is crucial to respond to the need for digitalization. Three local colleges in Sri Lanka currently have digital walls in place, and Maarya aims to add more so that people may directly access millions of priceless materials from their smartphones.
