Over 90% of Azerbaijan's libraries fail international standards, Culture Ministry says

More than 90% of libraries in Azerbaijan do not meet international standards regarding building infrastructure, management systems, and service delivery, Deputy Culture Minister Farid Jafarov announced during a meeting with publishers and writers, Vesti.az reported.

According to ministry data, only a tiny fraction of the country's approximately 3,400 libraries operate as model facilities. Key systemic bottlenecks include severe talent shortages (only 7.7% of personnel hold specialized library education), poor digital infrastructure (just 20% have internet access, while 96% lack automated cataloging systems), and legacy inventory: out of an 18.9-million-volume national catalog, 57.6% of Azerbaijani-language books remain in Cyrillic script rather than Latin.

To address these deficits, the Culture Ministry is launching an optimization roadmap aligned with International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) benchmarks. Planned reforms include unified ID-card-based access across all branches, 24/7 mobile digital platforms, open-shelf collections, expanded Braille/audiobook catalogs, and doorstep delivery services for users with disabilities.