Hiller said HUF 16.67bn would be available for general developments at libraries during the period and a further HUF 4.25bn could be used to digitalize libraries' collections. Libraries outside of the capital will receive special attention when allocating the funding, he added.
In order to ensure the funding is allocated in the best manner possible, the ministry will start consultations with library professionals on the habits of Hungarian library users and other trends, Hiller said.
The consultations will start by considering the big increase in library users between 2005 and 2006 compared to earlier years. The number of Hungarians with library cards grew 400,000 to 2.5 million during the period. At the same time, the number of library users reached 3 million and the number of library materials checked out increased three-fold.
"That is a trend," said Hiller, attributing some of the growth to the Big Book programme, a campaign to encourage reading which ended in 2005.
Hiller stressed the importance of digitalizing collections and creating more internet access at libraries. Today's children will turn to the monitor and the keyboard, rather than the bookshelf, when looking for old Hungarian classics, he said.
Hiller said he also wished to emphasize the place of living contemporary authors and create a better connection between them and their readers. A goal of developing libraries is not just to support the publication of works by contemporary authors, but to see that these works make their way into the hands of readers.
Hiller said the ministry was assessing a proposal by the Hungarian Association of Publishers and Booksellers to expand the number of books on Hungarian library shelves. A plan based on the proposal will be drawn by the autumn, he said.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
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| The venue for the press conference was the reading room of the National Foreign Languages Library. Photo: Eszter Gordon |
