The National Library of Tajikistan was founded in January 1933 on the basis of the city library in Stalinabad, the capital of the Tajik SSR. In 1934, the library was named after Abulkasim Firdawsi, the classic of Tajik–Persian literature. In 1993, the Republican State Library named after A. Firdawsi was renamed the National Library named after A. Firdawsi.

The official inauguration ceremony of the new building of the State Institution “National Library of Tajikistan” took place on the eve of the International Holiday of Navruz, on March 20, 2012, with the participation of the Leader of the Nation, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon.

The New Building

The new nine‑story building is constructed in the shape of an open book and meets modern international standards. The building is 167 meters long and 52 meters high. Block “a” consists of 9 floors with a basement, blocks “b” and “c” consist of 6 floors with a basement, and block “d” consists of 4 floors. The total area of the building is 44,780 square meters. By its dimensions, it is the largest library in Central Asia. Near the central facade of the building, there are 22 busts of renowned figures of Tajik science and literature.

Official Status and Functions

The State Institution “National Library of Tajikistan” is a state cultural institution, the national depository of the heritage of science and culture, an archive of the national periodical press, and a research center in the fields of library science, bibliography, book studies, and the implementation of new information technologies. The National Library is the largest repository of manuscripts, printed publications, and works of graphic art in the Republic of Tajikistan. It holds the world’s largest collection of handwritten and printed works in the Tajik language and the Persian language (Farsi). By its functions, the National Library of Tajikistan meets the main UNESCO requirements for libraries of this type.

Publishing and Research Activities

Currently, the library publishes various bibliographical aids of both scholarly‑supportive and recommendatory nature. It widely issues annual calendars of significant and commemorative dates of Tajikistan. The library also conducts sociological research on the development of public library networks, analyzes visitor attendance at rural libraries, and addresses issues related to the development of national bibliography, among other topics.

The Book Collection – A National Treasure

The National Library of Tajikistan is a national treasure of the Tajik people. The great wealth of its collections includes the works of classics of Persian–Tajik literature, such as: Al‑Muqaffa, Al‑Tabari, Rudaki, Firdawsi, Al‑Biruni, Ibn Sina (Avicenna), O. Khayyam, Rumi, Jami, A. Donish, S. Aini, B. Gafurov, M. Tursun‑zade, and others. The collection is continuously enriched with the works of contemporary scholars, writers, and poets of the republic. The number of modern scholarly publications in the Tajik language has significantly increased.

Access and User Rights

The right to use the National Library of Tajikistan is granted to institutions, organizations, enterprises, as well as to all citizens, regardless of nationality, education, social status, or political and religious beliefs.

Events and Programs

Every year, the library organizes approximately 150 different events for the general public and specialists, including conferences, seminars, round tables, literary evenings, book exhibitions, information days, open‑door days, and presentations.

Structure and Staff

The main structural divisions of the Library include 36 specialized departments and 4 centers, which carry out their work in all areas of library and bibliographic activity. More than 400 specialists work at the library.

Reading and Exhibition Facilities

The library has 27 reading rooms with 1,500 seats, which are equipped with 274 automated workstations for readers. For conferences and symposia, the library has 9 halls with a total of 1,200 seats. There are also 3 exhibition halls: for displaying ancient manuscripts and rare books, as well as galleries for exhibitions of books arranged by branches of science and knowledge.

For the convenience of readers, the library operates a “New Acquisitions Hall,” where newly arrived printed materials – books, newspapers, and magazines – are displayed. Newspapers are updated daily, magazines according to their publication frequency (monthly or quarterly), and books as they are acquired.

Methodological Role

The library serves as the scientific and methodological center for the libraries of the republic and provides comprehensive methodological and consulting assistance to regional libraries.

Collection Development

The National Library of Tajikistan forms a universal collection based on the principle of exhaustive completeness in acquisition and preservation. Over the years of its operation, the library’s holdings have increased more than 1.6 times and currently amount to more than 3 million documents in 50 languages of the world.

A priority area is the acquisition of publications in the Tajik language and regional literature, regardless of the place and language of publication. On average, 30,000–35,000 items are added to the library each year, including books, magazines, newspapers, gramophone records, regulatory and technical documentation, scholarly works and monographs, information‑bibliographic indexes, reference books, encyclopedias, and statistical compilations.

Sources of Acquisition

The main sources for building the library’s collections, in addition to the republican “Compulsory Copy,” include bookstores, direct and equivalent exchange with foreign libraries based on agreements, the purchase of literature through intermediary organizations and from private individuals, and books received as gifts. It has become a good tradition to donate the personal libraries of well‑known scholars and academicians of the Republic of Tajikistan.

Automation and Information Systems

The library has implemented a new automated library information system based on the library program “ALEPH,” which is widely used in international library practice. This program consists of two parts. The first part is intended for library staff and contains five modules – acquisitions, cataloging, continuous service, interlibrary loan service, and administrative control – which are connected to automated workstations. The second part, the “OPAC” (Online Public Access Catalog), is designed for readers, who can use it to find and order the desired book via the electronic catalog. To align with the new automation system for the “book‑reader‑reading” process, the collections of the National Library of Tajikistan were for the first time labeled with barcodes.

Digital Resources and Access

In the age of information technology, the library cannot lag behind progress; therefore, many literary works stored in the library have been reformatted into electronic form. The library’s resources are used by students from various educational institutions.

The library has a local area network. Specialized halls for access to electronic resources and full‑text databases of dissertations, journals, and educational literature have been opened. The hall is equipped with 170 automated workstations for reader service. The electronic document delivery service is fully operational.

At the automated workstations, users have free access to the following online resources:

• Electronic catalog and card indexes of the National Library of Tajikistan;

• Electronic resources of the National Library of Tajikistan;

• Digital library of the National Library of Tajikistan;

• Centralized bank of legal information “lawinfo.kmt.tj“.

In addition to access to its internal electronic collections, the library also provides readers with access to the collections of the Electronic Library of Dissertations of the Russian State Library.

Digitization of Rare Materials

The library has gained initial experience in digitizing printed documents and, on that basis, has created a database of digital copies of rare handwritten books related to the history and culture of the republic, as well as Tajik newspapers and magazines from the early 20th century, such as: “Bukhoroi sharif” (1912–1913), “Oina” (1913–1915), “Rohbari donish” (1927–1932), “Shu’lai inkilob” (1919–1921), “Inkilobi madani” (1930–1937), and “Baroi adabiyoti sotsialisti” (1932–1941).

International Cooperation

At present, the National Library of Tajikistan actively cooperates with more than 60 foreign organizations and institutions and with more than 20 major foreign libraries. Since 2006, the National Library of Tajikistan has been a member of the Non‑Commercial Partnership of the Eurasian Library Association (EBA) and the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Through international book exchange, the library cooperates with 28 countries around the world. Memoranda of Cooperation are in place between the National Library of Tajikistan and 10 foreign libraries.

The National Library is a member of major international library organizations: IFLA – with the right to participate in two sections, “National Libraries” and “Preservation and Conservation”; and the Eurasian Library Association (EBA).

Reader Services and Visits

In terms of the scale of reader services, the National Library of Tajikistan is the largest library in the republic. Its reading rooms, differentiated by branches of knowledge and types of publications, offer more than 1,800 seats. Currently, the total number of registered users exceeds 200,000. Every day, approximately 1,000–1,200 readers visit the library.

Strategic Priorities

As its priority objectives, the National Library of Tajikistan sets: integration into the global information space, the implementation and development of new technologies, the formation of a national collection of written and other documents directly or indirectly related to Tajikistan, and the provision of broad user access to this collection.

Website and Digital Library

The National Library of Tajikistan has its own website at www.kmt.tj and an electronic (digital) library at www.nlt.tj.