Today, the Alykul Osmonov National Library is one of the largest scientific, informational and cultural centers of Kyrgyzstan. According to Sayragul Kyrchoobaeva, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs of the library, its collection contains more than 6 million books, newspapers and magazines, archival documents and other publications in 90 languages of the world.
The history of the library begins in 1934. It was founded by a decision of the Kyrgyz ASSR, and in 1938 received the status of republican library. A year later, it was named after the Russian writer Nikolai Chernyshevsky. In 1990, by government decree, it received the status of a National Library, and in 2015, it was named after the classic of Kyrgyz literature Alykul Osmonov.
In the early years, the library operated in the building where the current Children's and Adolescents' Library is located. In 1984, at the initiative of the First Secretary of the Kyrgyz SSR Turdakun Usubaliev, a new modern building was built and the library was moved to this location.
Today, the total area of the library is 16 thousand square meters. More than 16 reading rooms are open for readers, and from 200 thousand to 300 thousand people are served annually. During the year, more than 147 thousand documents are made available for use at the request of readers.
In the direction of digitization, the library operates the electronic catalog "IBRIS", and electronic versions of more than one million books have been created. Also, scientific and bibliographic indexes dedicated to important state and historical dates are prepared and published annually.
In addition, the library management plans to open co-working spaces and Wi-Fi zones in order to create modern conditions for young people.
Kabar photojournalist shares unique photos of the National Library. They reflect the architecture of the library, its rich collection, reading rooms and daily activities.
