At a meeting of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan, Acting Minister of Culture Mirbek Mambetaliyev announced plans to digitize libraries in the country. According to him, modern libraries will be created that meet the current needs of society, AKI press reports.
Mambetaliyev noted that there are many libraries in villages that are hardly visited. He raised the issue of the further fate of the buildings of these institutions. The Minister explained that each building will be analyzed for its potential and capabilities, after which appropriate decisions will be made jointly with local authorities.
Examples of digitization
The US Library of Congress began the digitization process back in the nineties, according to Voice of America. By 2008, the institution had digitized more than 10 million books and materials.
Europeana is one of the largest digital platforms providing access to Europe's cultural and scientific heritage. The project was launched in 2008 with the support of the European Union and combines digitized materials from thousands of libraries, museums, archives, and galleries across Europe. Europeana provides access to over 50 million digitized objects.
Digitalization in Uzbekistan
In Uzbekistan, the first Digital Library opened in February 2021. The launch took place in Namangan as part of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's visit to the region. Currently, there are more than six million electronic books available there, as well as 250 thousand audiobooks.
The mass digitalization of libraries in the country was first discussed in 2010. At the same time, $54.8 million was planned to be allocated for these purposes. At the same time, there is no publicly available information about the results of the work done.
Furthermore, in 2014, plans were announced to implement a five-year project to digitize the Alisher Navoi National Library fund. The project was implemented with the assistance of the Economic Development and Cooperation Fund of the Republic of Korea, which provided the republic with a loan of $14.6 million.