Arabic books at Henry Ford Centenniel Library.

DEARBORN — From Arabic restaurants and hookah cafés that line the streets to the schools erected by Arab Americans generations ago, one does not have to go to great lengths to experience the diversity and rich culture that Dearborn offers.

Boasting a large and comprehensive international collection featuring a plethora of Arabic language guides and advanced literature, The Henry Ford Centennial Library, Dearborn’s main public library, is another testament to the city’s cultural transformation.

The library’s Arabic collection has come a long way, said Dan Lodge, head librarian of adult services. But now, the library is seeking feedback from community members to introduce books they want to see on the shelves.

Lodge said he wants to see people become involved in the collaborative process as the roles of libraries evolve into more than buildings that house books.

“Seeing a 70-year-old man check out his first library book, that’s like the world opening open to him,” Lodge said of what keeps him going.

The prominently displayed Arabic collection in the library is a reader’s dream come true. Parents who wish to teach their pre-school kids the language of the motherland can choose from picture books, books for beginners and easy-to-read novels. Adults have options ranging from cookbooks to poetry and literature.

However, what makes the collection special are the great number of English language best-sellers available in Arabic, including George Orwell’s “1984”, the Harry Potter series, the much-loved kids’ series “The Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and even Sesame Street books and DVDs.

In between the towering book cases, Sarah Kalmoni can be seen shelving books and putting them back in order. She is one of the few Arab Americans who help patrons with selecting Arabic books at the library and said the books are always jumbled up, a good sign that people of all ages are picking them up and enjoying the collection.

Growing up in the area in the 80’s, Kalmoni said her local library had a modest assortment, limited to only one publisher. With the help of Isabella Rowan, the former international librarian who is still actively building the library’s Arabic collection, the hand-selected publications grew drastically.

Circulation of Arabic books at the Henry Ford Centennial Library increased by 50 percent since it began adding to the shelves, according to Rowan.

Kalmoni said popular books include books by Agatha Christie, J.K. Rowling’s “Casual Vacancy” and cookbooks which she “can’t keep on the shelves.”

“I wish we had these books at home when we were kids; it would’ve been really great for us to catch he language a lot better,” she said.

Dr. Dijlah Alsamawi, a retired Arabic teacher and writer who sends a lot of her time at the library, said she sees many mothers who wish to teach their children their native language spending their time there.

“The Arabic language is the language of the motherland and the Holy Quran,” Alsamawi said. “That why people come here. Parents bring their kids, so they don’t forget where they came from.”

The shelves also include magazines, updated regularly to offer fresh editions of publications from the Middle East. Editions of The Arab American News is available as well.

Books aren’t the only things Arabic learners can check out. The library holds a free conversation circle to assist Arabic speakers in learning English as a second-language in a participatory setting every Tuesday and Thursday.

The library also offers free online language learning services and a collection of thousands of e-magazines one would normally have to purchase.

To suggest books, contact the library at 313-943-2330 or chat with a librarian at DearbornLibrary.org.