Strange Gift from the Libraries Institution to the People: Registration during Book Week is No Longer Free!!
According to Khabaronline from Isfahan, while cultural officials in “Half the World” (a common nickname for Isfahan) had announced special programs for Book Week in a joint meeting with media representatives, residents of the province noticed a special and particular change in the week’s programs from its very beginning: registration is no longer free during Book Week, unless one wishes to borrow only a single book without the possibility of renewal or using other library facilities!
This is despite the fact that previously, each member was allowed to borrow five books from the library for two weeks, with the option to renew them twice.
Furthermore, an individual who becomes a library member under the free Book Week scheme will not have access to study halls.
Another strange condition in this scheme is that the single borrowed book cannot be a textbook. Additionally, the librarian has the right to disapprove the borrowing of a book chosen by citizens, meaning you can only select a simple, perhaps insignificant, book under the librarian’s supervision.
Encouraging Citizens to Use Municipal Libraries
Raising this issue, especially during Book Week, has led to greater encouragement for Isfahani citizens to visit and use the services of municipal libraries.
It should be noted that this decision has been communicated by the country’s Libraries Institution to some libraries in several provinces. Sajjad Karam, Director General of Isfahan Libraries, told Khabaronline that this scheme has been implemented as a pilot project, upon directive from the capital, in some Isfahan libraries (only three libraries!).
He added: “We have communicated our opinion on this matter to the capital, and revisions are expected to be made.”
The Director General of Isfahan Libraries believes that technical reasons have been provided for this decision, stating that sometimes making certain facilities available for free can diminish their perceived value.
Some Isfahan officials believe that by implementing free library membership, many citizens register needlessly and visit libraries less than a few times a year. However, a simple field study shows that even individuals who pay for membership sometimes visit libraries with the same frequency or less. Therefore, this cannot be considered an evaluated and scientific fact, and one cannot overlook the attractiveness of free registration and its benefits in encouraging visitors to libraries and increasing reading statistics, especially amidst the unbelievable high prices of books and other consumer goods.
A Retreat in the Path of Reading?
In fact, libraries worldwide use every method to attract even a small audience. There are even 24-hour libraries in some countries equipped with facilities like free Wi-Fi, coffee shops, and study halls (not solely for textbooks). However, according to officials, the suitable infrastructure for this in our country is still not provided, even a decade after this idea was first mentioned and its implementation promised by the then-Director General.
Implementation of the Single-Book Free Membership Scheme Across All Provincial Libraries
Another noteworthy point is that, contrary to the Isfahan Libraries Director General’s statement that this scheme is being implemented in only three libraries, contact with libraries across Isfahan county revealed that officials in all these libraries confirmed the single-book scheme is being implemented during Book Week. Most visitors, upon realizing the strange membership conditions, completely forgo registration. We hope that national and provincial officials will seriously consider revising the implementation of this unusual scheme, which harms the culture of reading.
