Presidential Library (Turkey)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Nation’s Library of the Presidency
Millet Kütüphanesi.jpg
Cihannuma Hall
Established20 February 2020; 23 months ago (2020-02-20)[1]
LocationPresidential Complex, Ankara
Collection
Items collectedBooks, academic journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents, databases, maps, postage stamps, prints, drawings, and manuscripts
Size4 million+ books & printed materials

120 million articles & reports
550,000 e-books & rare collections

1.2 million audio files from TRT’s archive[2]
Legal depositYes[3]
Access and use
Access requirementsOpen 24/7 to anyone with Turkish ID or foreign passport[2]
Population servedup to 5,000 visitors at a time[2]
Other information
DirectorAyhan Tuğlu (director)[2]
Map

The Nation's Library of the Presidency[2] (Turkish: Cumhurbaşkanlığı Millet Kütüphanesi)[4] also referred to as the Presidential Library by common people, is the largest library in Turkey, with a collection of over four million books in 134 different languages, and 120 million articles and reports.[2] The Presidential Library, which has the largest incipient collection in the world, was officially inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on February 20, 2020.[5][non-primary source needed] In addition to receiving a copy of materials printed in the country, as a depository library, the Presidential Library also receives books, in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry, from every country where Turkey has a diplomatic mission.[3] It is home to the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages, compiled in 1072–74 by the Turkic scholar Mahmud Kashgari,[6] among many other manuscripts and rare books.[7]

Located inside the Presidential Complex, the Library is 125,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 5,000 readers at a time.[2] The library building is decorated with white and pink marble, designed with traditional Seljuk, Ottoman and contemporary motifs.[3]

History[]

The Library project was spearheaded by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2016 through the efforts of Turkish intellectuals, librarians, and NGOs, and inaugurated in February 2020.[8]

The Presidential Library is the largest single library investment in the history of Turkish Republic.[5] It also is the first library in Turkey to use integrated book conveyor system.[5]

Famous patrons[]

People who donated to the Library from their personal collection include:[8]

In addition, French President Macron sent a special envoy to propose collaboration between the Presidential Library and his country's national library in the field of literature.[8]

Accessibility[]

The Presidential Library is designed to be accessible with wheelchair, and the country's leading telecommunications companies, Turkcell and Türk Telekom, prepared technology rooms for visually- and hearing-impaired users.[2]

Cihannuma Hall[]

The Cihannuma (World Atlas) Hall, decorated with 16 columns representing the 16 Great Turkic Empires, houses a collection of 200,000 books and has a seating capacity for 224 readers at a time in an area of 3,500 square meters.[2] The dome of the Cihannuma Hall is 32 meters high and 27 meters wide.[5]

Verses four and five of sura al-Alaq from the Quran, the first to be revealed to Muhammad, on the significance of reading and writing are inscribed on the dome of the hall: "O, kalemle yazmayı öğretendir, insana bilmediğini öğretendir" (He is the one who taught how to write with a pen, taught the human being what he did not know).[8]

Books brought in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry on the culture and history of the countries where Turkey has a diplomatic mission are displayed in the World Library inside Cihannuma Hall.[2]

Collections and exhibits[]

The Rare Books Library[]

The Rare Books Library contains 50 thousand books, including Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı manuscripts and Mehmet Şevket Eygi Collections.[5]

Research Library[]

The Research Library has a collection of nearly 20 thousand books and 20 group study rooms.[5]

Nasreddin Hodja Children's Library[]

The Nasreddin Hodja Children's Library, named after the famous Seljuk satirist Nasreddin Hodja, is available for readers between the ages five and ten, with its collection of 25 thousand books and a multimedia section.[5] The Children's Library provides activities related to traditional Turkish arts.[2]

Youth Library[]

The Youth Library, which is available for readers between the ages ten and fifteen, has a collection of 12 thousand books, and contains individual and group study rooms.[5]

Multimedia Library[]

The Multimedia Library contains 12 individual study rooms for four digital rooms that are equipped with touchscreen monitors and offer access to TRT archives and nearly 10 thousand audio-vision materials.[5]

Periodicals Hall[]

The Periodicals Hall has a collection of 1,550 magazines and newspapers and offers access to 90-day archive of 7,000 dailies and magazines from 120 countries in 60 languages in full page on touchscreen monitors that also features catalog search.[5]

Reading Rooms[]

The Reading Rooms have a collection of 300,000 books and 32 group study rooms and 8 lounges.[5]

Conference Hall[]

The Conference Hall, with its four simultaneous interpretation cabins, is designed to host international conferences and meetings.[5]

Online, electronic and digital resources[]

The Presidential Library offers access to:[5]

  • 45 million documents from the State Archives,
  • 300 thousand manuscripts within the Manuscripts Institution of Turkey,[12] and
  • 550 thousand e-books, 6.5 million e-dissertations, 120 million articles, 60 thousand e-magazines from 46 databases, to which the Turkish Academic Network and Information Center and the Presidency are subscribed.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Türkiye'nin en büyük kütüphanesi açıldı". TRT Haber. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Turkey's largest library to be disabled-friendly". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Turkey's largest library being built inside presidential compound". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  4. ^ Millet Kütüphanesi
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Cumhurbaşkanlığı Millet Kütüphanesi aziz milletimize, şehrimize, ülkemize ve tüm dünyaya hayırlı olsun. #MilletKütüphanesi". T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Kemal H. Karpat, Studies on Turkish Politics and Society:Selected Articles and Essays, (Brill, 2004), 441.
  7. ^ "Başkan Erdoğan Millet Kütüphanesinin açılışını yaptı ve duyurdu! Önemli eserler burada görülebilecek". Sabah. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c d "Türkiye'nin en büyük kütüphanesi perşembe günü açılacak". TRT Haber. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Başkan Erdoğan'dan Cumhurbaşkanlığı Kütüphanesi'ne özel bağış". Yeni Asır. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "İlber Ortaylı kütüphanesini Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi'ne bağışladı". NTV. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  11. ^ "Collector wants to find Ottoman currency a home in Presidential Library". TRT World. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  12. ^ "Ancient manuscripts digitalized in Turkey for wider access". Daily Sabah. Retrieved February 20, 2020.

Retrieved from ""