Calimera azerbaijan country report: information on public libraries, local museums and archives

2.1 Public Libraries

The Law on Libraries was passed in 1999. The law sets principles of library system, defines financing and state regulations, and determines relations between libraries and international cooperation. The law states citizen’s right to use libraries freely. It also stipulates provision of free depository copies of each printed item to designated libraries. The Law on Copyright and Related Rights was introduced in 1996. Librarians as intermediaries should ensure that the rights of authors and users are not violated. Other relevant legislation includes: The Law on Culture, Law on Information, Informing and Protection of Information, Law on Authors and Related to it Rights.

The Ministry of Culture defines the strategy of public library development. The Ministry of Culture is the institution authorized to regulate state administration of cultural institutions, including public libraries in Azerbaijan.

There is a Department of Cultural Policy within the Ministry of Culture defining strategic areas of development of culture in Azerbaijan, which carries out the State Strategic Development Program of Culture in Azerbaijan (SSDP) for 2004-2007, National Information and Communication Technologies Strategy for the Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan (2003-2012) and National Action Plan for ICT development for 2004-2012 (culture applications).

Recently, “the State Strategic Development Program of Culture in Azerbaijan (SSDP) for 2004-2007” has been developed by the Ministry of Culture. SSDP covers legislation, funding, and scientific-methodological support for modernization in the field of library and museum system.