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5 districts, 209 upazilas lack libraries

By Shahzad Monju
There is no government public library in five out of 64 district headquarters of Bangladesh.
A total of 63 public libraries including the central one In Dhaka, three divisional and four branch libraries. Of them 16 are tn Dhaka division. 14 tn Chittagong. 16 in Khulna and 15 tn Rajshahi.
The number of other general libraries situated at the districts and upazilas is 310, according to a survey report of National Book Centre (NBC) conducted from 1987 to 1990.
Flftynine libraries are tn 59 district headquarters and the rest ones are tn 259 upazilas.
The survey report Includes those libraries which had fulfilled minimum conditions of space, books and standards specified by the NBC.
Five districts and 209 upazilas lack such libraries, the survey report shows.
Small libraries in various localities and communities were excluded from the survey because of their Inadequate number of books, small size and limited scope of serving pen pte.
Quite a number of schools
and colleges also have their own libraries.
Ministry of culture Is responsible for general and pub lie libraries. The ministry sanctions a grant every year for their development. A general library receive two to five thousand Taka annually as grant from the ministry
Cultural Ministry had approved Taka 55 lakh as grant for 1990-91. The same amount was sanctioned last fiscal year
The grant can hardly meet the libraries' demands, sources said.
Fazle Rabbi. Director of NBC. said 'the development of libraries Is a must for promote Ing education and books in the country.'
In 1981 a British library specialist J S Parker, ap pointed to Investigate Into the condition of libraries in the country under a contact between Bangladesh government and British Council In 1978. made some recommendations for library development of Bangladesh. Parker submitted his report to the Cultural Minister after the death of President Ziaur Rahman rec ommcndlng some measures to
develop libraries, but these recommendations are yet to be implemented even after a decade.-*
The implement!Hun of the recommendations by Parker Is essential for development of libraries as well as book promotion. concerned authorities believe.
A reports of Bangladesh Public Service Commission in late 70s noted ‘there Is no public libraries for the literate people residing at tlx: rural areas of the country The report also disclosed the average number of registered users per library In urban areas was only 15 per cent higher than those In the rural areas.
Late President Ziaur Rahman had announced a scheme of a public library cum-auditorium at each of the then thana headquarters. In accordance with the announcement. Hbrary-cum-audt-torium had been made In almost 25 thana headquarters although 100 thana headquarters had been allocated fund under the President's scheme by their local divisional development boards.
Later the total scheme had been abandoned during the anti-people government of ousted Presfd$nt Ershad. Most of the auditoriums are now being used as cinema hall.