Kerman Book Week Programs Begin with Book Donation

According to the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA) in Kerman, the Governor of Kerman, referring to the antiquity of Kerman National Library, said: ‘Such places, whether with their current or past function, are a part of Kerman’s identity, and preserving Kerman’s identity and culture is necessary.’

Mohammad Ali Talebi said: ‘We must cherish our identity dimensions, including architecture, various handicrafts, etc., and strive to strengthen them, and alongside that, pursue knowledge. The easiest path to knowledge is through books, reading, and promoting reading.’

The Governor of Kerman announced: ‘Kerman will soon host one of the largest book exhibitions in the country.’

In this meeting, Abdolhossein Hemmati, representative of Zarand and Kuhbanan people in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, while congratulating the arrival of Book Week, emphasized the importance of books in today’s society given the expansion of cyberspace, and called for the support and cooperation of all executive bodies to promote the culture of reading in society.

Shahbaz Hassanpour, representative of Kerman and Ravor people in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated: ‘Given society’s need for reading, it is the duty of officials to promote and support the culture of reading.’

The Director General of Public Libraries of the province, referring to the slogan of the 33rd Book Week, ‘Read for Iran,’ reported the donation of over 56,000 volumes of books by Gol Gohar Industrial and Mining Company, the General Department of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare, and Qalamchi Educational and Scientific Foundation to the public libraries of the province. These donated resources are being prepared for dispatch to public libraries after review and categorization.

Ahmad Vafaei further invited the general public to participate in the ‘Book Donation, Knowledge Donation’ campaign, calling it an instance of abundant good, and stated: ‘If our library repositories are enriched, our children will use them, because a book at home might only be read by family members, whereas if donated to a library, it will be borrowed hundreds of times.’

The Director General of Public Libraries of Kerman province stated: ‘We intend to transform libraries into cultural and artistic bases and safe, quiet places for people.’

Vafaei, referring to the slogan ‘Kerman on Top,’ attributed its realization to the development of science and knowledge and continued: ‘In Kerman province, there are 134 public libraries and library fronts, with 130,000 members.’

He added: ‘Last year, nearly 1.8 million people visited the province’s libraries, and over one million books were borrowed.’