Securing Credits for Garmsar Library / Expansion of Reading Sessions is Necessary

According to the correspondent of Iran’s Book News Agency (IBNA) in Garmsar, Yaser Arabi stated on Sunday afternoon during a meeting with public library managers and librarians of Garmsar and Aradan that the equitable development of cultural facilities in the region is a top priority. He emphasized that the land recently allocated for the central library is considered a primary need for Garmsar county, and efforts to secure funding for its construction are underway.

Highlighting the importance of increasing the per capita reading rate from an early age, he said: “If we can encourage five percent of the region’s 10,000 students towards continuous reading, a significant transformation will occur in the cultural future. Also, the experience of reading physical books has a lasting impact, but special attention must also be paid to other modern tools.”

The representative of Garmsar and Aradan in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, referring to his attendance at a Shahnameh reading session in one of the libraries, stated: “The atmosphere of that session was very impactful, and the expansion of these activities is necessary. Authentic Iranian literature has a high capacity to strengthen the spirit and cultural identity of society.”

Arabi added: “It is necessary to coordinate for a joint meeting with the National Public Libraries Institution to discuss the underdevelopment of libraries over the past 25 years. Furthermore, pursuing these issues in a meeting with the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance is on the agenda.”

He continued: “The proposal to increase the municipalities’ half-percent share to one percent will be raised in the Joint Commission to compensate for some of the libraries’ needs. Regarding the salaries and benefits of librarians, it is necessary to review information and compare it with employees in similar organizations for more precise follow-up.”

The representative of Garmsar and Aradan in the Islamic Consultative Assembly also commemorated Book Week and stated: “To achieve results on issues related to the livelihood of librarians, cooperation from other cities and consensus-building are needed so that proposals can gain the necessary votes in the parliament.”

Arabi referred to the topic of mobile libraries and added: “In many cities, municipalities have provided vehicles to libraries, and with necessary coordination, it will be possible to remove this limitation.”