The National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan: History and Priorities for Development

The article outlines the history of the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan, beginning with the creation of the State Public Library of Kazakhstan by a decree of the Central Executive Committee of the Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic in 1931. The State Public Library became the deposit library for all printed items published in the Republic. In 1991 the Library was awarded the title ‘National’ in recognition of its status as the centre for the coordination of librarianship in the whole of the Republic. An important priority for the Library is the creation of its own electronic resources through the digitization of its printed collections. The Library also provides current information in electronic form, for example through its database Kazakhstan: the past and present. In addition to its exploitation of new technologies, the Library actively promotes the study and understanding of the rare books and manuscripts contained in its historic collections, such as a Koran of the twelfth century. The paper identifies the safeguarding of the citizens' constitutional right to free access to information as a central element of the Library's mission.