National Library Day to be observed today

National Library Day-2022 will be observed today across the country with the theme ‘digital library is the pledge of the country’s golden jubilee’. Department of Public Libraries under the cultural affairs ministry will observe the day organising different programmes with a view to making people more library-oriented.

Besides, Bangla Academy, Jatiya Grantha Kendro, Kabi Nazrul Institute, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka University, Library Association of Bangladesh, district administrations and others will also observe the day.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages on the eve of the day. In a message President M Abdul Hamid said people’s unrestricted access to public library is playing an important role in developing education, culture and social development as libraries have enormous role in forming a knowledgeable, beautiful and enlightened society.

In the backdrop of ongoing globalization of the information technology, the President said the traditional concept of the library has been changed too, adding “libraries now have reached to the highway of technology.” To keep pace with the latest global change, he said the government is increasing infra-structural facilities of the libraries along with creating scopes to gather information staying inside the houses through digitalization of the libraries.     “I hope that these initiatives will encourage the youths to become library oriented,” he said in his message.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, said the present government led by the Awami League has increased the facilities of the libraries along with taking initiatives of project implementation for digitalization of the libraries. The Prime Minister said a project has been taken to set up 'Bangabandhu and Liberation War Corner' at all government-run public libraries to uphold the true history of Liberation War before the new generation.

“I believe that the observance of ‘national library day will also encourage and inspire people more and also would help realize a prosperous country which was a dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheik Mujibur Rahman,” she said. Directives have been given to introduce library hour at school level to encourage the new generation in using libraries, she said.  The President and the Prime Minister wished success of all programmes of the day. Sheikh Hasina declared February 5 as the National Library Day in 2017 and the day was first observed in 2018.