Almaty Region and the public foundation 'Reading Nation' have signed a memorandum of cooperation, reports Todayinfo. The agreement is being implemented within the framework of the President's decree 'On measures to develop reading culture and form an intellectual nation'.
The project plans to organize joint events through libraries, cultural and educational institutions, and implement initiatives that promote the intellectual and spiritual development of youth. The 'Reading Nation' foundation was established in July last year and has already implemented its first projects in Karaganda, Kostanay regions and Shymkent. As a result, about 190,000 people have developed reading skills. This year, it is planned to increase this number to 1.5-2 million. In Almaty Region, it is planned to cover more than 100,000 people.
At the event, the region's akim Marat Sultangaziev noted the special attention of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to the development of reading culture and librarianship. According to him, there are 145 libraries in the region, serving more than 71,000 readers. The total book fund exceeds 2.7 million copies. Libraries have coworking centers, clubs and circles that create conditions for creative and intellectual development of youth.
'This year, the Uygur district library, Zhandosov rural library in Karasai district and Shelek rural library in Enbekshikazakh district have been modernized and put into operation. In the near future, it is planned to renovate two more libraries. Since 2023, all district libraries have been transferred to the SAB IRBIS-64+ program. To date, more than 1.9 million bibliographic records have been entered into the electronic catalog and electronic library fund. Also, digital versions of 1,943 books have been sent to the KazNEB platform. 786 KazNEB QR codes have been placed in public places in the region, providing access to more than 82,000 electronic books,' said Marat Sultangaziev.
During the meeting, the chairman of the foundation Bakytzhan Turlybekov spoke about the goals and work done. 'A library is not a place to store books, it is a spiritual abode where people gain knowledge and deepen their understanding. Within the framework of the project, special attention is paid to attracting readers to libraries and forming a reading culture. One of our main goals is to fill libraries with readers. During the work, we noticed a high interest of the population in reading. Initially, we assumed that 25-30 thousand people would participate in each region, but the result exceeded expectations. About 190 thousand people participated in the project, of which more than 104 thousand completely read the proposed 15 books. This was determined by the test results. We work in 7 areas: we involve schoolchildren, college and university students, teachers, families, civil servants and athletes in reading. For example, schoolchildren are divided into 5 age groups, each of which is offered 15 books. A similar list has been compiled for Russian classes. It includes five works by Kazakhstani authors, five Western and five Eastern. This is very important for the formation of critical thinking. That is, only for the school direction, a list of 150 books has been approved,' said Bakytzhan Turlybekov.
