The library in the capital, Ankara is a huge cultural centre with millions of printed books and is accessible all the way from the car park to the reading rooms, Anadolu Agency reports.
The Nation’s Library was realised through the efforts of leading Turkish intellectuals, librarians, NGOs, and groups representing the disadvantaged working in harmony.
“A technology room for users with vision disabilities was prepared by [Turkey’s leading cellphone operator] Turkcell. Also, another technology room by Turk Telecom for both users with vision and hearing disabilities is in the works,” Ayhan Tuglu, head of the presidential library department, told Anadolu Agency.
“Carts to carry users with mobility disabilities will be available. A user in a wheelchair will be able to reach the library easily,” Tuglu said.
The new library is 125,000 square meters [1.35 million square feet].” Tuglu said the library is Turkey’s largest not only in terms of its physical capacity, but also the number of books. “It features 4 million printed books, over 120 million electronic editions and 550,000 e-books and rare collections,” he said, adding that national broadcaster TRT’s audio archive, boasting 1.2 million audio files, will also be accessible to users.
Notably, books published in 134 different languages and 120 million articles and reports are lined up on the shelves, spanning some 20o kilometres of shelves. Located inside the presidential complex, the library can accommodate up to 5,000 people at a time and will offer students, researchers, and literature enthusiasts a collection including millions of books, articles, and reports available in a printed and online format.
