BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 27. A new digital
library will be launched in Azerbaijan as part of ongoing efforts
to modernize library and bibliographic services, the Ministry of
Culture told Trend.
The Ministry of Culture oversees the National Library of
Azerbaijan, the F. Kocharli Republican Children’s Library, the J.
Jabbarli Republican Youth Library, the Republican Library for the
Visually Impaired, as well as 75 centralized library systems.
In response to the inquiry, the ministry said that the total
holdings of libraries operating under its system exceed 19 million
books.
The ministry noted that in order to renew library collections
and support the activities of publishing industry entities, it
organizes the “Publications Purchase” competition every year. Based
on decisions by a relevant commission composed of experts, books
with high artistic, aesthetic, and content quality are selected and
purchased.
“This process, which has already become a tradition, has been
further expanded in recent years. In 2023, 546 titles in 41,098
copies were purchased; in 2024, 572 titles in 49,105 copies; and in
2025, 534 titles in 65,450 copies. Overall, during the past three
years, a total of 1,652 titles in 155,653 copies have been
acquired,” the ministry said.
As part of the digitalization of library and
bibliographic processes, the KOHA Automated Library Management
System (KOHA) was introduced in centralized library systems in
2025.
According to the ministry, within the framework of this process,
bibliographic data for more than 850,000 books have been entered
into the electronic catalog.
“Work is currently underway to make a mobile electronic library
application integrated with the KOHA system available for public
use,” the ministry added.
The ministry also provided details on book purchasing procedures
and the criteria applied. It stated that the Commission for the
Preparation of the Publishing Plan and the Purchase of Publishing
Products has been established to prepare the publishing plan for
the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and to
organize the “Publications Purchase” competition.
“The commission is formed from specialists in the fields of
culture, science, literature, education, and other relevant areas.
When foreign publications are purchased, other experts in the
library and publishing sectors may participate in commission
meetings with an advisory vote and submit proposals. Every January,
based on manuscripts submitted over the previous year and planned
state orders, the commission prepares the publishing plan for the
current year,” the ministry said.
The priority topics and areas for the publishing plan
include publications intended to meet state needs; works
reflecting the results of scientific research in the field of
culture; literary works with high artistic value; works on national
customs and traditions, holidays, historical symbols, and toponyms;
studies on Azerbaijani ethnography and folklore; works related to
national cultural heritage and national cuisine; research on damage
inflicted on the cultural sphere as a result of Armenia’s
aggression against Azerbaijan and acts of vandalism committed in
Karabakh; high-quality works dedicated to the Patriotic War;
textbooks, methodological manuals, and other publications for
children’s music, art, and painting schools; works by prominent
literary, artistic, and public figures, as well as studies,
monographs, and memoirs about them; and new-content works covering
various aspects of cultural assets.
It was noted that the inclusion of manuscripts in the publishing
plan is considered based on applications submitted to the
ministry.
“Each February, the commission organizes the ‘Publications
Purchase’ competition. An announcement about the competition is
published on the ministry’s official website and in other mass
media, specifying the conditions for participation. Publications
must be submitted to the commission within 30 days of the
announcement date. Publications submitted after the deadline are
not accepted. Publications that are deficient in content or
printing quality, or have a total print run of less than 300
copies, including cases where each volume of multi-volume works has
a print run of less than 300 copies, are not eligible for
purchase,” the ministry said.
Special attention is paid to the number of copies,
copyright issues, and quality when purchasing
manuscripts.
“Publishing houses, journal editorial offices, printing
enterprises engaged in publishing activities, other legal entities,
and authors (copyright holders) operating and/or located in the
territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan may participate in the
competition. Authors wishing to participate must have a taxpayer
identification number or submit their publications through the
publishing houses where their works were printed,” the ministry
emphasized.
The ministry also clarified the issue of author remuneration,
noting that royalties are paid only for works prepared by order of
the ministry.
“No royalties are provided for manuscripts published with the
support of the ministry,” the statement concluded.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News
Agency’s WhatsApp channel