Vision 2021 and public libraries: an action plan to allow Bangladesh to go digital

In Bangladesh, the present government has clearly outlined in its election manifesto the following four strategies to help the country go digital by 2021: (i) developing human resources that are ready for the 21st century; (ii) connecting citizens in ways that are most meaningful to them; (iii) taking services to citizens’ doorsteps; and (iv) making the private sector and the market more productive and competitive through digitization (Bangladesh Awami League 2009). To attain the objective, the government of the country has given the highest priority to science, technology, and management education. Public libraries play an important role in establishing a knowledge-based society by improving the quality of education. Unfortunately, the digitization process is spreading slowly in most public libraries, which still have a long way to go before they can be termed ‘digital’ in the real sense of the term. As of today, Bangladesh has 68 government and about 865 non-government public libraries (NBC 2008), which are unable to fulfil the functions that a public library should ideally perform. So, the question arises, why public libraries in Bangladesh are not able to perform their noble roles? The main objective of the study is to conduct a survey to assess the digital initiatives of various public libraries in Bangladesh. It will also attempt to ascertain the cause of decreasing number of users of public libraries. The findings of the survey will encourage the government and other relevant policymakers in Bangladesh to formulate a strategic plan for digitization of public libraries in the country in a cohesive manner.