Azerbaijan, Albania discuss expanding library cooperation [PHOTOS]

Albania’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Besart Kadia has visited the
Azerbaijan National Library, Azernews reports.

It was noted that the Director of the National Library,
Professor Kerim Tahirov, briefed the guest on the library’s
activities. He stated that the National Library, with a collection
of nearly five million books, maintains book exchanges with
national libraries in 90 countries and has signed memoranda of
mutual cooperation with national libraries from 54 countries.

Kerim Tahirov provided detailed information on the library’s
operations and projects, noting that a memorandum of cooperation
between the National Libraries of Azerbaijan and Albania was signed
in 2022.

The director particularly emphasized that an Azerbaijani
Literature Section was opened at the Albanian National Library in
2025, and informed the ambassador that a similar section had been
established at the Azerbaijan National Library two years
earlier.

The Ambassador Besart Kadia stated that he would support the
expansion of cooperation and international book exchange between
the National Libraries of Azerbaijan and Albania and
Azerbaijan.

Besart Kadia expressed his readiness to cooperate at all times
and stressed the importance of organizing presentations at the
National Library of Azerbaijan of books by Albanian writers and
poets published by the embassy in Turkish and Azerbaijani.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on cooperation in
the fields of professional experience-sharing between library
specialists of both countries, as well as the preservation,
digitization, and inclusion in academic circulation of books and
manuscripts held by libraries.

At the end of the meeting, the director presented the guest with
books about Azerbaijan.

The guests then toured the Azerbaijan National Library and
expressed their high appreciation of the library.

The Albanian National Library was founded on July 10, 1920 and
officially inaugurated on December 10, 1922 in the capital city of
Tirana.

The library’s initial collection at the time of inauguration
consisted of about 6,000 volumes, and over the decades its holdings
grew significantly. By the end of World War II the collection had
expanded to around 15,000 volumes, and by the late 1940s it reached
roughly 100,000 items. In the years that followed, the collection
continued to grow and today comprises more than one million items,
including books, periodicals, maps, atlases, microfilms, and other
materials.

From its earliest years, the National Library has served as
Albania’s main repository for the written cultural heritage of the
nation. It functions under the authority of the Ministry of Culture
and plays a leading role in organizing library education,
continuing professional development, and national bibliographic
services. Among its responsibilities are cataloguing national
publications, preserving rare and historical materials, and
providing public access to research resources.

The institution also participates in international library
organizations and digital initiatives, and its services include an
online public access catalogue (OPAC), digitized collections,
exhibitions, book launches, conferences, and cultural events.

With over 5 million books, manuscripts, and maps, the Azerbaijan
National Library is considered one of the largest libraries in the
Caucasus region. Since 1939, the library has borne the name of the
eminent playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundov.

The library has an extensive collection of literature in
Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and other languages. It has
collected and preserved national editions, works of Azerbaijani and
foreign authors about Azerbaijan published abroad.

The National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, visited the National Library
four times in 1995-1997 and donated nearly 300 books from his
personal library.

In 2004, the Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library was granted the
status of a national library by the decision of Azerbaijan’s
Cabinet of Ministers.

The building of the library is no less impressive. The library’s
faсade is decorated with the statues of eminent poets and writers
like Nizami Ganjavi, Mahsati Ganjavi, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Shota
Rustaveli, Alexander Pushkin and many others.

The scope of the library’s activities is constantly expanding.
In 2005, on the basis of legal copies received from publishing
houses and printing companies, the library published the yearbook
“Books of Azerbaijan” for 1990, 1991, 2000, and 2001.

Over the past years, the National Library has signed a
memorandum on bilateral mutual cooperation with about 80
libraries.

In 2021, the Culture Ministry and Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library
launched a joint campaign, “Let’s go to Garabagh with a book”, to
restore libraries in the Garabagh region.

A large number of books were donated to the Garabagh Book Fund
by a number of international organizations working in the field of
culture, Turkic-speaking countries, famous foreign and local
authors, publishers, and printing houses.

In 2025, Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) was officially signed
between the National Libraries of Tajikistan and Azerbaijan during
a ceremony held in Dushanbe.

The agreement was inked by the director of the Azerbaijani
National Library, Karim Tahirov, and the director of the Tajikistan
National Library, Farzalizada Jumakhon.

This memorandum provides a framework for enhanced collaboration
between the two institutions, emphasising the exchange of books,
publications, and other cultural materials to foster mutual
understanding and strengthen the cultural ties between the two
nations.

It also sets the stage for joint activities and projects aimed
at promoting literacy, preserving cultural heritage, and supporting
scholarly research.