Hormozgan is a leading province in the field of reading.

According to the correspondent of Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Bandar Abbas, Ayatollah Mohammad Ebadizadeh, during a meeting on Tuesday (November 11th) with the Director-General and staff of the Public Libraries Department of Hormozgan Province on the occasion of Book, Reading, and Librarian Week, considered book exhibitions one of the distinguished cultural activities in Hormozgan.

Referring to his experience attending book exhibitions in Hormozgan province, he stated: During conversations with most publishers present at Hormozgan’s exhibitions, I asked them about the difference in the cultural atmosphere of this province compared to other provinces. In response, all of them spoke of the remarkable public reception for purchasing and reading books in Hormozgan. This indicates that the inclination towards books in Hormozgan is a distinguished and reliable cultural capacity.

The Supreme Leader’s representative in Hormozgan province emphasized the necessity of promoting a reading culture, adding: Developing and institutionalizing the habit of reading in society requires continuous efforts from speakers, cultural figures, teachers, media activists, and other influential social figures. Therefore, cultural development in this area must become a public demand and a central program.

Ayatollah Ebadizadeh also identified the lack of balance in service provision as one of the significant cultural challenges in the province, stating: The disparity between cultural and educational per capita in eastern Hormozgan compared to the center and west of the province is evident. To establish cultural justice and equal access, it is necessary to pursue the balanced development of infrastructure, educational spaces, libraries, and cultural programs in all cities, especially the eastern regions.

The Head of Hormozgan’s Public Culture Council emphasized: Precise planning, targeted allocation of funds, and special attention from Hormozgan province’s cultural managers can significantly reduce the existing gap and provide the groundwork for synergistic cultural growth.

The Supreme Leader’s representative in Hormozgan province also elaborated on the necessity of developing e-books and e-libraries, explaining: Establishing connections with prominent digital libraries can compensate for some of Hormozgan province’s shortcomings in the field of books.

We are short of about 60 public libraries in Hormozgan

Anoushirvan Pishdar, Director General of Public Libraries of Hormozgan Province, also thanked the Head of the Public Culture Council and announced: Hormozgan currently has 73 public libraries, and during Book, Reading, and Librarian Week, libraries in Garook Sirik in the east of the province and Kemeshk Bastak village in the west of Hormozgan will open, bringing the total to 75.

He spoke of Mohammad Ashouri, the governor of Hormozgan’s commitment to pursuing the completion of the physical space for the Central Library of Bandar Abbas, adding: Construction of the Central Library of Bandar Abbas began in 2008 (Iranian year 87) on a 7,000 square meter plot, designed with five floors and sections for children, Hormozganology, the general book collection, the blind and deaf, researchers, childcare, reading halls, etc., in Persian Gulf Park (Bandar Abbas Forest Park). Its physical space will be completed next year.

Pishdar, referring to the importance of manuscripts, stated: The late Sharifa Sharafaei Library in Janah Bastak village is the only library in Hormozgan that preserves manuscripts. However, many manuscripts and lithographic books are held by the public, and if the manuscript section of the Central Library of Bandar Abbas opens, people will trust it and donate their books to the library.

The Director-General of Public Libraries of Hormozgan expressed gratitude to the headquarters staff and Hormozgani librarians, stating: A total of 150 people work in Hormozgan’s public libraries, providing services at the General Directorate’s headquarters, in cities, and in public libraries.

He further stated: The weakest library infrastructures in Hormozgan province belong to Bandar Abbas county. This metropolis has a total of 15 libraries, with 6 in the city center and the rest in the surrounding areas. Additionally, 21 cities and 35 villages with populations over 2,500 lack public libraries, meaning we are short of approximately 60 public libraries in Hormozgan.

Pishdar also said: Given the new measures by the National Public Libraries Institution, the expansion of mobile libraries is on the agenda. If 6 mobile libraries are launched, and each library covers 10 service points, 60 areas lacking libraries will be covered by these libraries, which is a very welcome development.

The Director-General of Public Libraries of Hormozgan Province deemed the current collection of books in the province insufficient for the population’s needs and emphasized: Given the high price of books, the necessity of visiting public libraries is felt more strongly. However, in Hormozgan province, due to the limited physical space of existing libraries and the shortage of standard libraries, the number of books available in libraries is also lower compared to national standards.

Anoushirvan Pishdar stated that one of the priorities for Hormozgan’s public libraries is establishing a library in Payambar-e Azam Town, Bandar Abbas, with a population of 150,000, adding: We lack cultural and library infrastructure in this area.

According to IBNA, at the end, the Head of the Public Culture Council of Hormozgan Province was appreciated with a book donation from the General Directorate of Public Libraries of Hormozgan.