Efforts are in progress to digitalize Türkiye's National Library's extensive collection, comprising 20 million pages of resources, with the intention to expand accessibility beyond Ankara, as announced by Taner Beyoğlu, the general director of Libraries and Publications at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
During an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) in honor of the 60th Türkiye Libraries Week, Beyoğlu underscored the National Library's 74-year heritage as a pivotal component of Ankara's cultural milieu, catering to researchers and scholars. He stressed the institution's dedication to enhancing accessibility through accelerated digitalization initiatives.
The initiative aims to broaden access to the library's vast resources to individuals outside Ankara, encouraging more interaction with its diverse collection. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is leading the digitalization campaign as part of its commitment to safeguarding and promoting Türkiye's cultural heritage.
Beyoğlu explained, "In recent years, the National Library has digitized over 20 million pages, prioritizing newspapers, magazines, and books. Our focus is on scanning books with expired copyrights, making them accessible through the digital library on our website. Additionally, we've digitized all issues of national newspapers up to 2023, with ongoing efforts to digitize local newspapers, starting from the oldest editions."
"We've begun the process of scanning books and aim to make all digital or digitized resources of the National Library available online to users outside Ankara in the near future. Citizens will have online access to these resources, eliminating the need to visit the National Library physically. They'll soon be accessible from 100 public libraries under our ministry and digital library stations."
Beyoğlu highlighted the significance of automatic scanning machines as valuable additions to the National Library's digital infrastructure.
"We employ automatic scanning machines to digitize books, ensuring rapid processing without human intervention. We've also facilitated integration among digitizing libraries, preventing duplicate scans and ensuring seamless collaboration between the ministry-affiliated libraries and the National Library."
During an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) in honor of the 60th Türkiye Libraries Week, Beyoğlu underscored the National Library's 74-year heritage as a pivotal component of Ankara's cultural milieu, catering to researchers and scholars. He stressed the institution's dedication to enhancing accessibility through accelerated digitalization initiatives.
The initiative aims to broaden access to the library's vast resources to individuals outside Ankara, encouraging more interaction with its diverse collection. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is leading the digitalization campaign as part of its commitment to safeguarding and promoting Türkiye's cultural heritage.
Beyoğlu explained, "In recent years, the National Library has digitized over 20 million pages, prioritizing newspapers, magazines, and books. Our focus is on scanning books with expired copyrights, making them accessible through the digital library on our website. Additionally, we've digitized all issues of national newspapers up to 2023, with ongoing efforts to digitize local newspapers, starting from the oldest editions."
"We've begun the process of scanning books and aim to make all digital or digitized resources of the National Library available online to users outside Ankara in the near future. Citizens will have online access to these resources, eliminating the need to visit the National Library physically. They'll soon be accessible from 100 public libraries under our ministry and digital library stations."
Beyoğlu highlighted the significance of automatic scanning machines as valuable additions to the National Library's digital infrastructure.
"We employ automatic scanning machines to digitize books, ensuring rapid processing without human intervention. We've also facilitated integration among digitizing libraries, preventing duplicate scans and ensuring seamless collaboration between the ministry-affiliated libraries and the National Library."