In the process of developing reading culture in the community as well as in the New Rural Development Program, library institutions at all levels have received investment attention. However, operational efficiency still has many limitations and shortcomings, requiring innovative solutions to bring about more practical results.
People read books at the cultural house of Tay Ninh village, Yen Son commune (Ha Trung).
Thanh Hoa currently has 41 district-level libraries and equivalent; 1,701 commune-level libraries and equivalent (an increase of 1,686 compared to 2019); more than 4,216 newspaper reading rooms in villages, hamlets, and neighborhoods (an increase of 4,057 compared to 2019) and many private library models and family bookcases. The number of books in libraries and bookcases has been invested in, supplemented, and rotated regularly. The development of the grassroots library system has contributed to the Provincial Library in carrying out the task of promoting the reading culture in the community.
To achieve these results, Party committees and authorities at all levels, together with departments, branches and organizations, have paid attention to investing in building a system of grassroots libraries. At the same time, the Provincial Library has proactively developed a plan to develop a system of grassroots libraries; promoted propaganda in many forms, such as: through mass media, by billboards, posters, banners, slogans, leaflets, brochures... about the role of libraries in the development of reading culture. Along with that, the Provincial Library has strengthened professional training for library staff at all levels; regularly deployed professional and technical support activities, organized and arranged document warehouses for grassroots libraries; effectively organized the circulation of books and newspapers to bookcases, libraries and reading rooms at the grassroots level.
It can be seen that the system of grassroots libraries is invested in relatively synchronously and fully, which is a “bright color”, creating an advantage for developing a reading culture in the community. However, the operation of libraries lacks synchronization - some operate effectively, some operate at a low level, and there are even no people passing by, especially the bookcases at the village cultural houses and commune-level libraries.
Located at the Tay Ninh village cultural house, Yen Son commune (Ha Trung), the village's reading room is located right in the cultural house. The bookcase with about 300 books, newspapers, and magazines is placed in an easy-to-see, easy-to-reach place. However, very few people read these books. Or in Ward 2, Thuong Xuan town (Thuong Xuan), the bookcase has been placed in the cultural house of the neighborhood for a long time, but due to few readers, along with the repair and rearrangement of the cultural house, the bookcase has been stored in storage for a long time. It was not until June 2024 that the bookcase was restored. However, most of the books are still neatly placed on the shelves.
The above situation also occurs in the communal library system. At Hoang Dao Commune Library (Hoang Hoa), it was formed on the basis of a law bookcase arranged in the same room of the one-stop department at the commune People's Committee. The library was formed to store and use books and newspapers to serve the reading needs of people in the commune. Up to now, the communal library has about 250 books and newspapers, mainly documents related to policies, laws, science and technology. The books are few and not diverse, so the library is often "empty" of readers.
For the district-level library system, the number of readers is also quite modest. For example, at Thuong Xuan District Library, in 2020, a green library was built, attracting many readers. However, this activity is not maintained regularly, so the number of readers coming to the library is decreasing. To increase the number of books to readers, Thuong Xuan District Library has connected with schools to organize programs for students to visit and read books. However, this activity is not "attractive" enough to arouse students' passion for reading.
According to many people, the bookcases and grassroots libraries are not attractive to people because the books are not diverse, mainly legal books, guidelines and policies. The location of the bookcases is not convenient for people to access; the space for readers to sit and read is limited, and the library's activities lack innovation and appeal to people. Ms. Tran Thi Tam, Yen Son commune (Ha Trung), said: The bookcases are located in the village cultural house, which is only open during meetings or when playing sports and performing arts. Therefore, books and newspapers are mainly read by the elderly when they come here for meetings. Children are not passionate because legal books are too unfamiliar to them and not as attractive as smart devices.
The situation of the basic library system operating at a standstill is also due to the strong development of the internet, social networks and the 4.0 technology revolution. This has caused many people to replace the habit of reading books and newspapers with the habit of surfing the internet and using their phones to search for information.
Faced with this situation, in order to bring libraries closer to the people, first of all, those working in libraries and culture need to raise awareness of the role of libraries, books and reading culture; need to change their thinking and actions in implementing the introduction of reading culture into the community. Along with that, promote propaganda to raise people's awareness of the role of books and reading culture; promote socialization in library building activities, renew book warehouses and grassroots library models...
Article and photos: Quynh Chi
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/hoat-dong-thu-vien-co-so-hai-mang-mau-sang-toi-223265.htm
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