There are three books per person in the general republican book fund in Kyrgyzstan. According to specialists, this is critically insufficient. They believe that the figure must be at least two times more in the modern world. Meanwhile, authorities are not going to increase funding of book reading facilities so far.
Looking for unique recipes of bread, pie or fish soup, like in the Soviet-time canteen – you can find them all in the Chui regional library in the town of Kant. Here you can also find one of the rarest books – the Old Testament published back in the 18th century in the Old Slavonic. Tamila Kadzhieva, head of the library, knows almost every book here.
“Food technologists have come to us because they wanted to start their bakery. They have asked for recipes of Soviet loaves, which were so delicious! And we have such a book of recipes here. We shared it with them and they seem to start it successfully,” she said.
There are over 280 thousand books in the Chui regional library fund. It has 10 book departments, equipped classes of English and Kyrgyz, computer classes. There are braille books for the blind. Children here study robotics, programming, chess. The library provides 24-hour internet access.
“Not only students, but also adults come here. They can sit here and read. We have comfortable reading rooms here. And it’s all is free of charge. Library is a window to another world. And our mission is to explain and show the reader that the world is interesting and can be explored here, in the library,” Kadzhieva said.
The library grows every month due to international foundations, various organisations, and under the legal deposit law. According to the law, every author publishing a book must return 12 copies to the book chamber. And then they are distributed among 12 large libraries in the country.
“We are aware what Kyrgyzstan publishes, which genres. We have fiction and industry literature. We receive children’s books under USAID projects and it is great,” she said.
But Chui regional library is just an example of what the library should be like – multifunctional, with rich book stock, and bestsellers of modern literature.
Over 80 per cent of Kyrgyzstan libraries are rural, said Rinat Askarbekov, chief of cultural heritage office of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport and Youth Policy of Kyrgyzstan. In some villages, they are the only source of information.
A big world on 30 square metres
This is a library in the village of Zharbash in Chui region. It is one of the most remote ones in the region and one of the smallest – only two racks and ten shelves. The library has nearly 5 thousand books. It has both local and foreign literature. The building was built three years ago from pre-engineered structures.
“This is better than nothing,” said Nasip Urmatbek kyzy, director of the library.
In fact, it is hot in summer and cold in winter in the building. She is proud of the collection of novels by Chyngyz Aitmatov. Nasip Urmatbek kyzy is both the chief and the cleaner here as she is the only employee.
“I have three children. When my youngest kid grew up, I was offered this job. I agreed. My salary is good – 17 thousand som (nearly 194 dollars). This is quite a lot for the village. The library has changed my life – I enrolled to a college, and now study to become a librarian. I want the library to be useful to all residents. It could be a place for extra activities for schoolchildren or kids who do not attend kindergarten. But we will need an internet connection and a colour printer for that,” she said.
Most rural libraries of Kyrgyzstan have no access to the internet and no computers. And it is one of the major issues.
“If we had internet, we could print out colouring books for children, find interesting information for students, download e-books and spread them across children,” said head of the library in Zharbash village.
And the library in the village of Dmitrievka, Chui region, did not wait for large-scale project from the state. According to director of the library Altynchach Ospanova, one year ago their library had only one room with books. And now it is the development centre attended by dozens of rural students and kids.
“I am the deputy of the rural kenesh and I also work in the library. In fact, I have raised money to buy a PC, get access to the internet. This year, additional office was allocated for the development centre. Parents themselves support the library. They are thankful for having the place where their children can come,” she said.
Despite little interest to books in modern children, Altynchach Ospanova believes that libraries should be maintained and new ones should be opened.
“Because library helps children and adult readers to see book as the cultural phenomenon. A book is not just a text, it is the art. Its printing, typography, illustration, where else can we encounter them?” the rural librarian said.
Books are insufficient
Another problem of domestic libraries is the meagre book fund. For example, the library in the village of Zhar Bash procured just over 40 books in 2022. This is mainly fiction in Russian because there are very few books in Kyrgyz.
“Children now are interested in books on self-development. They ask if we have books by Nick Vujicic in Kyrgyz. Of course, we don’t have such books. However, we try to meet their demands. I come to the Chui regional library, find books here or find them in electronic format. I always try to satisfy the reader,” Urmatbek kyzy said.
Currently, Kyrgyzstan has 1,060 libraries, according to the ministry of culture. Their total republican book fund is nearly 20 million books. It makes approximately three books per every Kyrgyzstani. According to Oleg Bondarenko, executive director of the Association of Book Publishers and Booksellers, three books per person is critically insufficient given that over a half of books is the heritage of the Soviet Union.
“Soviet books are good, indeed. But, according to statistics, they are read less often. Now, the demand is for modern literature, updated versions of specialised literature with recent researches in medicine, construction, business. But we should not forget about children’s books with vivid illustrations, pictures. Old books do not have so many bright colours. They also should be replenished. But we don’t have regular replenishments in libraries, and they are insufficient anyway,” Bondarenko said.
According to him, rural libraries must focus on children’s books in Kyrgyz. For that, the state must fund and translate popular books and distribute them across villages with no internet access. According to him, it is important not only to translate, but also to publish children’s books, which will shape the thinking of little readers since childhood. Such books are very few, Bondarenko said.
Here’s a simple example. Every year, 800 to 1,000 categories of books are published in Kyrgyzstan, with total circulation 700 thousand copies. By comparison, over 10 million copies of books were published every year in soviet Kyrgyzstan until 1990. Book publishing stopped because of no demand. Now no one is interested in books and no one is involved in this sphere. Only international organisations lend a helping hand, yet it is just a drop in the bucket. Such issues as book publishing must be considered and supported at a higher level.
The Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport and Youth Policy is aware of the issue. According to its information, every year regional libraries of Kyrgyzstan are supplemented by nearly 40 thousand books. These are mainly works of fiction by foreign authors translated into Kyrgyz, motivational books, specialised literature.
“Well, actually our libraries are replenished in a number of ways. First, ministry of culture procures them. Then, every author publishing a book must supply 12 books to the book chamber, wherefrom they are distributed among libraries. We also receive books from international organisations. We try to increase funding but the cabinet of ministers still has not replied,” said Rinat Bakeev, chief of cultural heritage office of the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sport and Youth Policy.
20 thousand som per year
The ministry of culture has 12 large libraries of the republic on its books. 90 per cent of book reading facilities are supervised by local governments. It means that the amount allocated to them depends on the head of district or village, according to librarian of Orlovka village, Chui region, Kulmira Kurmankulova. Here, nearly 20 thousand som is allocated to maintain the library every year (nearly 228 dollars).
“We spend this money to buy stationery, household goods. This amount does not cover salary. But if we make a request, we could get more money. My request was to provide internet access. My request was approved, they said they would fund it, and hopefully we will have internet access next quarter,” Kurmankulova said.
According to Oleg Bondarenko, 20 thousand som per year is nothing, in fact. According to him, money should be allocated not only to procure stationery, but primarily to buy books.
“What is our task? To engage a child in the library, to show that it has books, which can be read. What do our rural libraries have in stock? Encyclopaedias of the Soviet Union, some brochures, newspapers. Yes, they are interesting, but they do not engage. What development and maintenance can we speak about if they have 20 thousand som per year and have new 40-50 books in their fund?” he said.
In addition to physical libraries, there is an electronic library in Kyrgyzstan, which has just over fifteen hundred books in digital form.
“It has encyclopaedias for children, children’s works by famous world writers, books about animals, books about the history and culture of Kyrgyzstan, and dozens of other genres. These are all available both in Russian and in Kyrgyz. The electronic library can be installed on a PC and used without internet. This is a good opportunity for children from remote villages,” said Tamila Tadzhieva.
However, not everyone can afford a PC in remote households, rural libraries are almost the only opportunity to read books for many.
According to the ministry of education and science, it is engaged in library reformatting activities. According to press secretary of the ministry, Nurzhigit Myrzabekov, child development centres are opened in 120 libraries across the country.
“Our purpose is to make libraries the cultural and educational space, where various events can be held both for children and for adults. Similar centres are equipped with developing training materials, while library workers have undergone special trainings on how to work with children,” he said.