In Uzbekistan, special attention is being paid to popularizing reading and raising book-reading culture, to increasing the sale of books at bookshops and improving libraries’ work.

In Uzbekistan, special attention is being paid to popularizing reading and raising book-reading culture, to increasing the sale of books at bookshops and improving libraries’ work.

The Presidential decree dated 12 January 2017 “On establishing a commission for the popularization of reading and the raising of book-reading culture and for the development of the system of the publication and distribution of books” is an important factor in this sphere.

A library was established by the Jayhun Ilhomlari nongovernmental non-commercial organization in Amudaryo District thanks to this kind of attention. The library was put into operation with a grant from the public foundation for supporting nongovernmental non-profit organizations and other civil society institutions under the Oliy Majlis (parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

“The grant provided for our project entitled `A high morality generation is the country’s future’ is channelled into the establishment of this library, the increasing of the number of books at the library and the holding of various moral events. We pay special attention to obtaining the best works of national and world literature for the library,” says the chief of the Jayhun Ilhomlari nongovernmental non-commercial organization, Ahmad Nafasov.

The library located in the district centre is visited by large numbers of students of academic lyceums, vocational colleges and schools. Itinerant libraries have been created at educational establishments and distant villages in order to increase young people’s interest in books and to raise book-reading culture in neighbourhoods and families. Young people who love books are being rewarded. 42 creative young people’s poems were selected and published in a collection.

Sponsor organizations and generous book-lovers are giving more books to the library.

“I have given this library 110 books from my personal library. It is good that everyone is supporting this charity work and presenting artistic and scientific literature in various languages,” says Zebo Rajabova, the chairperson of the “Yangiobod” neighbourhood citizens’ gathering.

The number of books at this library, which serves to further raise the morality and intellectual potential of young people, is to reach 5 thousand.