Efforts are underway to digitize Türkiye's National Library's vast collection, totaling 20 million pages of resources, with plans to extend accessibility beyond Ankara, announced Taner Beyoğlu, general director of Libraries and Publications at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) in commemoration of the 60th Türkiye Libraries Week, Beyoğlu highlighted the National Library's 74-year legacy as a cornerstone of Ankara's cultural landscape, serving as a hub for researchers and scholars. He emphasized the institution's commitment to enhancing accessibility through accelerated digitalization initiatives.

The move aims to make the library's extensive resources accessible to individuals beyond Ankara, fostering greater engagement with its diverse collection. As part of ongoing efforts, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is spearheading the digitalization drive, reflecting its dedication to preserving and promoting Türkiye's rich cultural heritage.

Beyoğlu said: "In recent years, the National Library has digitized over 20 million pages, primarily focusing on newspapers, magazines and books. We prioritize scanning books with expired copyrights, making them accessible through the digital library on the National Library's website. Additionally, all issues of our national newspapers until the end of 2023 have been digitized. Our efforts continue as we digitize local newspapers, beginning with the oldest editions."

"We have now started scanning the books. In the near future, we will make all digital or digitized information resources of our National Library available online from outside Ankara. Our citizens can access digital resources online. They will not have to come to the National Library at the access point. Our citizens will soon be able to access the digital resources of the National Library from 100 public libraries affiliated with our ministry and digital library stations."

Beyoğlu stated that the most valuable devices recently added to the National Library in terms of digital infrastructure are automatic scanning machines.

"We scan books automatically, without human touch. We try to scan both our periodicals and books quickly." Beyoğlu also stated that they provided integration between digitalizing libraries.

Beyoğlu said that they prevented duplicate scans and ensured integration by dividing the work between the libraries affiliated with the ministry that carries out digitization and the National Library.