No new libraries have opened in 44 provinces of Turkey over the last 10 years, according to the data from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. As the population of the country increased by 19,2 percent between 2004-2016, the number of libraries decreased by 16,6 percent, according to data given by the ministry.
The ministry has given the information upon the independent deputy Aylin Nazlıaka’s question regarding the number of libraries in Turkey as part of Right to Information Act.
There are currently a total of 1140 libraries in Turkey, according to the data. In the past decade, even a single library has not been built up in Turkey’s 44 provinces where 25 million 378 thousand people currently live in. Again in the past decade, only 66 libraries have been established in 37 provinces where 54 million 436 thousand people live. This means that 1 million 471 thousand people have to share only one new library in Turkey.
A total of 127 libraries are still closed in Turkey, Nazlıaka noted based on the information given by the Ministry.
Stating that libraries are the institutions that improve reading habits of individuals in a society and meet them with education, culture and science, Nazlıaka said that the numbers of libraries, their accessibility to individuals and the numbers of books published and read are among the factors that determine the index of development as well as the economic and social development of a country. Nazlıaka also criticised the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), saying that it is obvious that the political power has failed in educational and cultural investments.
According to data of International Publishers Association in 2016, 8,4 books fall to per person per year in Turkey. The researches carried out by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) indicate that while reading books is ranked 235th on the people’s list of the requirement in Turkey, an individual averagely spares only a minute to read a book per day, 6 hours to watch TV and 3 hours to surf the internet.
The reactionary transformation experienced in the last 15 years in Turkey also brings about crucial results in terms of educational and cultural aspects. Turkish Education Association (TED)’s "2016 Education Evaluation Report" had indicated that the average verbal skill point of university graduates in Turkey is lower than the average score of high school dropouts in Japan. Last year, a professor is known for his statement that "as long as the literacy rate increases, I become exasperated", had been appointed to the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) by the President Erdoğan in Turkey.
