I. Gandhi central scientific library

Indira Gandhi Central Scientific Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tajikistan was established in 1933. The main task of the library is information and bibliographic services for scientists, experts, university professors, graduate students and other audiences in Tajikistan. Currently, the library has over a million units. The library has literature of scientific and popular science oriented fields, provides readers with books on mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, and earth sciences, seismology, medicine, biology, history, philology, philosophy, economics, law, sociology, political science, ethnography and other sciences.

The library has a universal library stock on more than twenty languages of the peoples of the world, as well as the collection of rare books. Decoration of the library is a collection of personal collections of famous scientists S. Oldenburg, M. Andreev, E. Pavlovskiy, I. Narzikulov and M.Asimov.

Academic Library acquires scientific journals of the Russian Academy of Sciences, CIS and far abroad. Annually it receives abstracts which replenish its fund of theses. The main priority for the Academic Library is the most complete recruiting sources, both traditional and on electronic media and the development of remote network search.

Currently, the library serves more than 14,000 readers who have reading rooms, as well as 20 computers with Internet access. Traditional library search system is now more than four million cards, directories and files, as well as fund of bibliographic literature with more than 15,000 items. Using Internet, Library users can retrieve information from scientific journals over 7,000 names in different languages.

The priority in the development of library and information services is to provide users with the most comprehensive international information materials, full-text electronic versions, and the creation of a national information resource.

In order to improve collections and optimize the use of library facilities in the library, there is a department of depository, which deals with the available literature that is rare in use. Every year the library holds a number of exhibitions, special events, with prominent figures of science and culture, friendly relations with other states of the republic. An example of such an activity was held in 2010, the exhibition of Russian journals, provided by the largest company “Informnauka”, whose representatives held a meeting at the library for the “round table”, and several information sessions. 

One of its most important tasks of the library is the popularization of the scientific knowledge and promotion of science in Tajikistan. For this purpose, library is preparing to publish materials for the Bibliography of scientists of Tajikistan.  Overall, 102 issues were published. In 2011, the Library completed the creation of an electronic version of the bibliography of works of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon.

Library hosts scientists and experts from abroad, promotes professional level of employees, facilitate students, conducts conferences and seminars. For example in 2009, an international seminar “Libraries in the space of humanitarian cooperation” was organized.

Access to the Internet has allowed has provided online electronic library catalogs in the format IRBIS, most of which have become Asked directory of theses and abstracts. 

Library has implemented a program GREENSTONE for electronic libraries of their own resources, located on the Internet. It should be emphasized that this software is promising for the dissemination and implementation in Tajikistan.

Since 2004, the Academic Library is working on a project for the preservation and access to rare books stored in the library through their digitization. To-date seven computer disks are released with the electronic versions of valuable publications.

Library has been awarded an honorary Internet Prize “for best educational site” in Tajikistan. This demonstrates the increased opportunities for the introduction of library into information technology.

The number of requests in an electronic catalog is increasing the number of visits to e-libraries, including users from abroad.

Library policymakers implement the use of electronic versions of information sources and are making efforts to provide on-line access to the users. To expand the virtual access to domestic sources of documentary, library joined the international project of the World Digital Library.