Azernews.Az

By Nigar Orujova

The importance of the national library in the process of the intellectual formation of Azerbaijan can never be overestimated.

Azerbaijani national library was established 90 years ago. Over the nine-decade-long period of development, the Azerbaijan National Library named after Mirza Fatali Akhundov, an Azerbaijani playwright and philosopher, has become a treasury of cultural values, which stores important publications.

The library has played an irreplaceable role in enhancing the intellectual and cultural potential of the nation and contributed to the nurturing of several generations of scientists and cultural figures.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on marking the 90th anniversary of the Azerbaijan National Library on June 24.

According to the decree, Azerbaijan's Culture and Tourism Ministry is to prepare and implement a plan of events to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the national library.

To mark the date, the national library created its first museum reflecting the history of the Library -- the treasury of the national culture, which keeps millions of books and other printed materials.

The museum has various documents related to the library including samples, orders, medals, diplomas, library cards, and photographs.

The Azerbaijan National Library is one of the largest and well-known national libraries and book storages not only in the Caucasus, but also all over the world.

The library, which is located in the center of Baku, was founded in 1922 and its official opening was held on May 23, 1923.

In 2004, it was awarded the status of National Library for its role in the life of the country.

Currently, there are 25 departments and 26 sections at the library. Some 4,513,000 publishing materials are stored there.

The Baku library pursues relations with libraries abroad. Since 2005, a specialized department of foreign literature started to carry out international book exchanges and the library established relations with more than 60 countries of the world.

Supporting international trends, the national library created an Internet hall in 2000 and opened a training center in 2001. In 2003 the library began to introduce an automated management system.

Moreover, the creation of an e-version of the library was launched with the compilation of an electronic catalogue.

The reading room has capacity to receive about 500 readers. Orders are also accepted electronically.