Library Infrastructure Throughout South Khorasan Must Be Strengthened

According to the correspondent of Iran’s Book News Agency (IBNA) in Birjand; Seyyed Mohammad Reza Hashemi, the Governor of South Khorasan, at a meeting of the Provincial Public Libraries Association, considered books and reading as one of the most important cultural needs of today’s society and said: “Reading, especially reading books, offers a pleasure not found in cyberspace and leads to peace, intellectual growth, and an increase in general awareness.”

He emphasized that meetings related to promoting reading should be expanded, adding: “Libraries should transform into cultural and social centers for students, pupils, and various segments of the population to enhance general knowledge.”

The Governor of South Khorasan, referring to the importance of proper implementation of legal duties by municipalities in allocating half a percent of their income to library development, stated: “This year, asset acquisition funds have been fully allocated to governorates for the first time and must be spent on strengthening cultural infrastructure, especially libraries.”

Hashemi further stressed the necessity of cultural equity throughout the province, adding: “Rural libraries and access for women and families to books must be strengthened, as increased awareness can reduce many social problems.”

In another part of his speech, he addressed the province’s economic actions and said: “In the first half of this year, out of a total of 70 customs offices nationwide, the South Khorasan customs office played a role in exports to Afghanistan with three million tons of goods; while some production units in the province were closed before last year, many of them have now been revived.”

The Governor, referring to the 85% progress of the province’s solar power plant and the completion of projects that had been stalled for years, added: “Alongside focusing on economic and urban development, we must not neglect cultural issues and the promotion of social vitality.”

Finally, while appreciating the efforts of cultural sector servants, especially book and library activists, he said: “Libraries are always companions and supporters of society, and strengthening them is a shared responsibility of all managers.”