A library development program will be developed in the Vitebsk region

March 24, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. A library development program will be implemented in the Vitebsk region. Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Alexander Kosinets instructed the culture department of the regional executive committee to develop its draft today during a visit to the Lenin Regional Library, BELTA correspondent reports. The program draft will include measures aimed at improving the material and technical base, increasing library collections, computerization and the creation of electronic libraries. In particular, it is planned to reconstruct the existing building of the regional library, subsequently transforming it into a city library. A new modern building needs to be constructed for the regional library. According to preliminary estimates, the area of the new regional library will be about 15-20 thousand square meters. Its collection will comprise almost 4 million books. At the same time, designers will have to take into account modern trends in library development, when libraries become socio-cultural centers equipped with the most advanced technologies. The chairman of the regional executive committee instructed to select a site for the new building and develop a project by September 1. There are 620 public libraries operating in the Vitebsk region. The book collection numbers 8.5 million books. 600,000 residents of the region are library users. The Lenin Vitebsk Regional Library was established 80 years ago. Its collection comprises about 700,000 books. Of the 55,000 readers of the regional library, 46% are students. -0-