Libraries to keep longer hours

ISTANBUL

Libraries will remain open for longer hours, Culture and Tourism Minister Nabi Avcı has announced during Turkey’s annual Libraries Week, noting that the extended opening times would first be rolled out in Istanbul.

In the first stage, the Beyazıt State Library and Orhan Kemal Provincial Library in Beyazıt, as well as the Şemsipaşa District Library in Üsküdar, will be open every day between 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. starting April 15. 

The Mihrimah Sultan Children’s Library in Üsküdar will be open between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. 

As of May 2, the Aziz Berker District Public Library will be open between 8 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., while the Selimiye Children’s Library will be open between 8 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. 

The new system will be extended to other libraries in Istanbul and other cities in time. 

“According to the results of this pilot scheme and considering the seasonal conditions in the cities, we will fix the working hours for libraries and even for museums,” Avcı said.