 The National Library of Somalia was established in 1975 , and came under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education , Culture and Higher Education . In 1983 , it held approximately 7 @,@ 000 books , little in the way of historical and cultural archival material , and was open to the general public . The National Library later closed down in the 1990s . In June 2013 , the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies organized a shipment of 22 @,@ 000 books from the United States to Somalia as part of an initiative to <unk> the library . In December of the year , the Somali authorities officially launched a major project to rebuild the National Library . With <unk> Hassan serving as Director , the $ 1 million federal government funded initiative will see a new library complex built in the capital within six months . In preparation for the relaunch , 60 @,@ 000 additional books from other Arab League states are expected to arrive . 
