Erdoğan opens Turkey’s largest library under presidential complex
ANKARA
AA Photo
Turkey’s largest library was inaugurated in the capital Ankara on Feb. 20, which will feature 4 million printed books, in a ceremony attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
“The presidency has become worthy to the nation with this library,” Erdoğan said at the ceremony.
The library features 4 million printed books, over 120 million electronic editions, and 550,000 e-books, he stated. The president said they aim the library to be not only a place for book collections but a center on science and culture.
Erdoğan welcomed those who donated books to the new library. He called on others to make further donations.
“We make bridges to history and build up links between geographies,” Erdoğan said, adding that they aim a similar library in Istanbul.
The Nation’s Library project is realized through intense efforts by leading Turkish intellectuals, librarians, NGOs, and groups representing the disadvantaged working in harmony.
A technology room for visually impaired users was prepared by Turkcell. Also, another technology room by Turk Telecom for both visually impaired and hearing-impaired users is in the work, according to Ayhan Tuglu, head of the presidential library department.
Our library is disabled-accessible starting from the very first entry to the inside of the library. Carts to carry disabled users will be available. A user with a wheelchair will be able to reach the library easily told Anadolu Agency.
The new library is built on 125,000 square meters.
The national broadcaster TRT’s audio archive, boasting 1.2 million audio files will serve the users.
Books published in 134 different languages and 120 million articles and reports are lined up on the shelves, spanning some 201 kilometers of shelves.
Located inside the presidential complex, the library can accommodate up to 5,000 people at a time and will offer students, researchers, and literature enthusiasts a collection including millions of books, articles and reports available in a printed and online format.
The Nasreddin Hodja Children’s Library will be available for visitors ages 5-10, and those aged 10-15 will be able to use the Youth Library. There will also be separate mini libraries focusing on sounds and images, rare books, and research.
The library also features a special hall named Cihannuma (world atlas). There are 16 columns in the hall representing Turkic states from the annals of history.
With a collection of 200,000 books on an area of 3,500 square meters (37,673 square feet), the hall is ready for visitors.
In addition, citations from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, on the significance of reading and writing are inscribed on the dome of the hall.
In collaboration with the Foreign Ministry, scores of books were brought to the library from every country where Turkey has a diplomatic mission. These books on the culture and history of the countries will be available in the World Library inside Cihannuma Hall.
Ambassadors and representatives of countries including Uzbekistan, Chile, China, France, and Belarus personally visited the presidential complex and graciously donated books that were later added to the library’s archive.
Notably, French President Emmanuel Macron sent a special envoy and said the Turkish and French national libraries could collaborate in the field of literature.
The library is also projected to be a lifelong education center where visitors -- whether children or adults -- will be offered courses on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, augmented reality and coding.