Library Development in Uzbekistan: Progress and Problems since the Dissolution of the USSR

Abstract

The paper is a report on the development and current state of libraries and information services in Uzbekistan. It was initially prepared as background for a project supported by the European Commission's TEMPUS programme that provided technical assistance for developments in Armenia, Georgia and Uzbekistan. The paper is based on a review of the published literature and data gathered during the implementation of the project, and addresses a wide range of issues that were encountered. It provides some background information on the country, the state of publishing and bookselling, and the dissemination of research results; briefly describes the development of libraries and information services, and professional education; outlines the international development assistance that they have received during the last twenty years; describes their current situation; and indicates some of their future needs. It notes that, while the activities of international governmental and nongovernmental agencies to offset the catastrophic effects of the disintegration of the centralized Soviet system may have lacked coordination, the national government of Uzbekistan appears to be taking a more strategic approach to the development of its library and information services.