Presidential Library (Turkey)
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (February 2020) |
| The Nation's Library of the Presidency | |
|---|---|
 Cihannuma Hall | |
 | |
| 39°55′29″N 32°48′03″E / 39.924747575129935°N 32.800786001858526°E | |
| Location | Presidential Complex, Ankara |
| Established | 20 February 2020[1] |
| Collection | |
| Items collected | Books, academic journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, patents, databases, maps, postage stamps, prints, drawings, and manuscripts |
| Size | 4 million+ books & printed materials 120 million articles & reports |
| Legal deposit | Yes[3] |
| Access and use | |
| Access requirements | Open 24/7 to anyone with Turkish ID or foreign passport[2] |
| Population served | up to 5,000 visitors at a time[2] |
| Other information | |
| Director | Ayhan Tuğlu (director)[2] |
The Nation's Library of the Presidency[2] (Turkish: Cumhurbaşkanlığı Millet Kütüphanesi),[4] also commonly referred to as the Presidential Library, is the largest library in Turkey, with a collection of over 4 million printed books[2] and over 120 million electronic editions[2] published in 134 languages.[2] The Presidential Library was officially inaugurated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on February 21, 2020.[5] In addition to receiving a copy of materials printed in the country as a depository library, the Presidential Library also receives books from every country where Turkey has a diplomatic mission, in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry.[3] It is home to the Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk, the first comprehensive dictionary of Turkic languages, compiled in 1072–74 by the Turkic scholar Mahmud Kashgari,[6] among many other manuscripts and rare books.[7]
Located inside the Presidential Complex at Ankara, the Library is 125,000 square meters and can accommodate up to 5,000 readers at a time.[2] The library building is decorated with white and pink marble, designed with traditional Seljuk, Ottoman and contemporary motifs.[3]
History[edit]
The Library project was led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2016 through the efforts of Turkish intellectuals, librarians, and NGOs, and inaugurated in February 2020.[8]
The Presidential Library is the largest single library investment in the history of Turkish Republic.[9] It also is the first library in Turkey to use integrated book conveyor system.[9]
Famous patrons[edit]
People who donated to the Library from their personal collection include:[8]
- President Erdoğan,[10]
- Ambassadors of Uzbekistan, India, Chile, China, France, and Belarus,
- Historian İlber Ortaylı,[11]
- Literary critic and historian Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı,
- Oud master and composer Cinuçen Tanrıkorur,
- Author Şefik Can,
- Restaurateur Mehmet S. Tezcakin,[12]
- Former Minister Hasan Celal Güzel,
- Author and journalist Mehmed Şevket Eygi,
- Art historian Mustafa Kamil Dürüst,
- Poet Mustafa Şerif Onaran,
- Director Muhsin Mete,
- Publisher Saman-Hatice Helvacıoğlu, and
- Sociologist Cemil Meriç.
In addition, French President Emmanuel Macron sent a special envoy to propose collaboration between the Presidential Library and his country's national library in the field of literature.[8]
Accessibility[edit]
The Presidential Library is designed to be accessible with wheelchair, and the country's leading telecommunications companies, Turkcell and Türk Telekom, prepared technology rooms for visually- and hearing-impaired users.[2]
Cihannuma Hall[edit]
The Cihannuma (World Atlas) Hall, decorated with 16 columns representing the 16 Great Turkic Empires, houses a collection of 200,000 books and has a seating capacity for 224 readers at a time in an area of 3,500 square meters.[2] The dome of the Cihannuma Hall is 32 meters high and 27 meters wide.[9]
Verses four and five of sura al-Alaq from the Quran, the first to be revealed to Muhammad, on the significance of reading and writing are inscribed on the dome of the hall: "O, kalemle yazmayı öğretendir, insana bilmediğini öğretendir" (He is the one who taught how to write with a pen, taught the human being what he did not know).[8]
Books brought in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry on the culture and history of the countries where Turkey has a diplomatic mission are displayed in the World Library inside Cihannuma Hall.[2]
Collections and exhibits[edit]
The Rare Books Library[edit]
The Rare Books Library contains 50 thousand books, including Abdülbaki Gölpınarlı manuscripts and Mehmet Şevket Eygi Collections.[9]
Research Library[edit]
The Research Library has a collection of nearly 20 thousand books and 20 group study rooms.[9]
Nasreddin Hodja Children's Library[edit]
The Nasreddin Hodja Children's Library, named after the Seljuk satirist Nasreddin Hodja, is available for readers between the ages five and ten, with its collection of 25 thousand books and a multimedia section.[9] The Children's Library provides activities related to traditional Turkish arts.[2]
Youth Library[edit]
The Youth Library, which is available for readers between the ages ten and fifteen, has a collection of 12 thousand books, and contains individual and group study rooms.[9]
Multimedia Library[edit]
The Multimedia Library contains 12 individual study rooms for four digital rooms that are equipped with touchscreen monitors and offer access to TRT archives and nearly 10 thousand audio-vision materials.[9]
Periodicals Hall[edit]
The Periodicals Hall has a collection of 1,550 magazines and newspapers and offers access to a 90-day archive of 7,000 dailies and magazines from 120 countries in 60 languages in full page on touchscreen monitors that also features catalog search.[9]
Reading Rooms[edit]
The Reading Rooms have a collection of 300,000 books and 32 group study rooms and 8 lounges.[9]
Conference Hall[edit]
The Conference Hall, with its four simultaneous interpretation cabins, is designed to host international conferences and meetings.[9]
Online, electronic and digital resources[edit]
The Presidential Library offers access to:[9]
- 45 million documents from the State Archives,
- 300 thousand manuscripts within the Manuscripts Institution of Turkey,[13] and
- 550 thousand e-books, 6.5 million e-dissertations, 120 million articles, 60 thousand e-magazines from 46 databases, to which the Turkish Academic Network and Information Center and the Presidency are subscribed.
See also[edit]
- National Library of Turkey
- Presidential Complex
- List of national libraries
- List of libraries in Turkey
- List of libraries in Ankara
- List of largest libraries
- Turkish literature
References[edit]
- ^ "Türkiye'nin en büyük kütüphanesi açıldı". TRT Haber. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Turkey's largest library to be disabled-friendly". Anadolu Agency. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Turkey's largest library being built inside presidential compound". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ Millet Kütüphanesi
- ^ "Erdoğan opens Turkey's largest library under presidential complex - Türkiye News". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ Kemal H. Karpat, Studies on Turkish Politics and Society:Selected Articles and Essays, (Brill, 2004), 441.
- ^ "Başkan Erdoğan Millet Kütüphanesinin açılışını yaptı ve duyurdu! Önemli eserler burada görülebilecek". Sabah. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Türkiye'nin en büyük kütüphanesi perşembe günü açılacak". TRT Haber. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Cumhurbaşkanlığı Millet Kütüphanesi aziz milletimize, şehrimize, ülkemize ve tüm dünyaya hayırlı olsun. #MilletKütüphanesi". T.C. Cumhurbaşkanlığı. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "Başkan Erdoğan'dan Cumhurbaşkanlığı Kütüphanesi'ne özel bağış". Yeni Asır. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
- ^ "İlber Ortaylı kütüphanesini Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi'ne bağışladı". NTV. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ "Collector wants to find Ottoman currency a home in Presidential Library". TRT World. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ^ "Ancient manuscripts digitalized in Turkey for wider access". Daily Sabah. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
External links[edit]
- The Nation’s Library, Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye
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