READING ROOM

Many of us remember the magical time when in the absence of the Internet, it was possible to satisfy your hunger for books and information only in the library. Everyone is familiar with the smell of dust, which imparted mystery to wandering between shelves cluttered with tattered volumes, and the unique pleasure one experienced when bringing lovingly selected books home ... or sitting alone in the reading room, where the silence protected by servants of this temple of literature was broken only by the delicate crunch of the turning pages of periodicals and quiet, in a low voice, requests for another book.

Now the requirements of time have deprived many of us of that pleasure. Unfortunately, one of the facets of modern-day life is that only fragments are left from the former greatness of libraries. If before libraries were deservedly regarded as a stronghold of culture and education, today, admittedly, they have a lot of competitors in the face of the ubiquitous Internet, computers and other electronic media, not to mention the fact that the number of reading people has decreased significantly over the past few decades. And librarians have to resort to all sorts of tricks to keep the reader. Nevertheless, the situation of book depositories and their employees is very deplorable.

The struggle for the reader

However, this is not to say that Azerbaijani libraries are not able to fulfill their primary function with credit - to meet readers' needs completely free of charge regardless of age, gender and education. The head of the library sector of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan, Latifa Mammadova, said in an interview with R+ that this is the main social mission of public libraries. "Our life is developing so fast that people just do not have time to absorb all the information that rains down on them. Even those who graduated from high school five years ago face major changes and developments in the fields of their specialities today." But even in such circumstances, not everyone can afford to purchase not only books that do not come cheap, but also usual periodicals in the form of newspapers and magazines, says Latifa Mammadova. In the library, anyone can enjoy not just reading fiction, but also enlighten themselves with scientific works and learn about what is happening in the world from periodicals.

At the same time, libraries simply have to adapt to the changing reality. To maintain, so to speak, their reputation, a lot of interesting projects are being implemented now. For example, one of the priority directions of development is the automation of libraries, which includes not only computerization, but also Internet and the creation of electronic resources. "It's no secret that most of the Internet websites are in English," Latifa Mammadova says. "We strive to increase the amount of information in the Azerbaijani segment to ensure that the Azerbaijani language takes its rightful place."

One of the important projects that will interest all the advanced readers is the creation of free Wi-Fi zones. In addition, a system of electronic catalogues az.lib.net has been created, which contains all the web resources of libraries in a centralized form and has a combined catalogue.

Latifa Mammadova said that a project to create rural mobile libraries is being developed. According to Mammadova, such models already exist in the world - in the Baltic countries and in the United States. The bottom line is that regional libraries begin to play the role of rural clubs - not just a library, but also a mini-museum, a mini-cinema, a mother and child room and most importantly, a legal information centre.

The project "Monument Books" helps immortalize rare editions. All information about antique and second-hand editions that have anything to do with Azerbaijan (about Azerbaijan, written and published here by Azerbaijani author or co-authors, etc. - editor) is carefully collected and catalogued. Moreover, this collection has already been released as a CD-ROM and includes publications that are not only managed by the state, but are also in private collections.

The oldest library in Baku

Despite the difficulties, libraries continue to exist and function like the steadfast tin soldier. The flagship is the largest library in Baku - the Akhundov Azerbaijan National Library (ANL). It is not only the largest in Azerbaijan, but is considered to be one of the largest universal libraries around the world. It began its work almost 100 years ago - in 1920 and in nearly forty years (from 1920 to 1961) it turned from three-room premises into a luxurious four-storey building.

The library currently has 4,552 million books (data for 1 January 2013), and the fund constantly gets new books from publishers, UNESCO funds and private collections. Employee of the library Aygun Mammadova and Konul Mammadova said that the library has rare editions as well. One of the most valuable and oldest copies is the 1831 book "Qanuni Qudsi" by Abbasqulu aga Bakixanov. The archive of Azerbaijani literature and the sector of rare books also contain a collection of miniature books.

According to Konul Mammadova, compared to 15 years ago, the flow of visitors to the library has significantly decreased, of course. Still, it is doubtful that any other library in Baku can boast so many visitors: from 800 to 1,000 readers a day during the school time. "Of course, during the holidays it is much lower," she says. The average number of readers a day is 300. As can be seen, for students and researchers of every stripe, "Axundovka", as the library is popularly known, still remains one of the most important sources of information in studying sciences. Although the library fund has been translated into an electronic format almost entirely, it is quite difficult to find it on the Internet. "Otherwise, no one will want to come here, and we will be out of our job," the employees laugh.

In any case, all conditions are right for "visiting" the library: there are no depressing crowds and endless queues for books in the hall, while the waiting time has decreased from an hour and a half to ten or fifteen minutes. Fans of scientific and technological progress can comfortably sit at computers and read the necessary literature.

In the library itself there are changes, too. Although, the employee said, the system of registering readers changed in 2009 and there is a turnstile at the entrance, the temporary admission ticket is still printed on old grey paper. However, now you can order books via the Internet by indicating the number of your library card.

State support

The problem of financing is one of the most acute ones in the library business. For example, Latifa Mammadova said, two libraries in Narimanov District - the Firdovsi library and the Shahbazi library - are closed, because they could not pay the rent for years.

Regional libraries get 5,000-8,000 manats per year from the budget to replenish the stock. "This is a very small amount, which is why regional libraries do not get new books for many years, not to mention newspapers and magazines," says a Ministry of Culture employee. The lion's share of the funds is spent on library equipment - record cards, "pockets" for library cards and forms.

The situation of others is even worse. The capital's district libraries do not receive even this amount. Only four large city libraries - the ANL, the Cafar Cabbarli Republican Youth Library, the Kocarli Republican Children's Library and the Republican Library for the Visually Impaired - are financed from the state budget and the ministry. They are given 50,000-60,000 manats per year.

Fortunately, according to the presidential decree of 27 December 2004, library collections were supplemented with books on different fields - fiction, reference books, scholarly works and encyclopedias. At the moment, funds are replenished by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.