Library Week

Library Week is a series of events celebrated in Türkiye each year for one week, beginning on the last Monday of March, aimed at highlighting the importance of libraries and librarianship. First initiated in 1964, Library Week seeks to encourage citizens to become more familiar with libraries, make greater use of their services, and develop reading habits. The activities are conducted within the framework established by the “Regulation on the Celebration of Library Week,” published in the Resmi Gazete No. 17625 on March 6, 1982.

Purpose and Scope

The primary aim of Library Week is to foster reading habits and enjoyment among students, cultivate a love of books, ensure more effective use of libraries by readers, and raise public awareness about the development of libraries. During the celebrations, the importance of libraries, current issues in librarianship and potential solutions are communicated to the public. Particularly in educational institutions, students participate in library visits to learn about library usage, research methods and rules of conduct within the library.

Legal Basis and Regulation

Library Week celebrations are conducted in accordance with directives issued by the Ministry of National Education. The Library Week Celebration Directive, updated in 2011, establishes the procedures and principles for celebrating the week in official and private pre-school institutions, as well as primary and secondary schools. According to the directive, the school principal is responsible for overseeing the week’s celebrations and ensures that activities are carried out with the assistance of library staff or designated teachers. When necessary, support can be obtained from public libraries and university Information and Records Management departments.^【1】 

Celebration Activities

Activities conducted during Library Week are organized for both individual and group participation. These activities include:

• Developing reading habits and library usage, encouraging voluntary reading, introducing students to books through innovative methods, and promoting a culture of reading.
• Providing information to students and parents about library services and the use of information resources.
• Organizing conferences, symposiums, panel discussions, talks, exhibitions, book signings and educational film screenings related to libraries.
• Arranging visits to other nearby libraries to promote their services.
• Promoting printed and electronic library resources, encouraging their use and preparing informative materials on the subject.
• Organizing competitions in composition, poetry, storytelling, articles, drawings and projects on topics such as libraries, books, reading habits and information literacy.
• Conducting book introductions, discounted book sales and publicizing the week’s activities through various media channels.

During the celebration, students’ interests, abilities and needs, as well as the resources and conditions of the surrounding environment, are taken into account. Moreover, the aim is to provide library resources and services effectively and to inform users beyond the students. Successful students, teachers and school principals are recognized and rewarded for their participation in the activities.

Library (Anadolu Ajansı)

Importance and History of Libraries

Libraries have a long-standing role in human history as central hubs for accessing knowledge. Existing evidence indicates that the first library was established during the Assyrian period. During the Ottoman Empire, significant importance was also given to libraries and books, a tradition that has continued into the present day.