Astana, 2 November. A National Digital Library Platform is planned to be built on the Unified Automated Library and Information System, the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Information reported after an interdepartmental meeting.
The meeting took place at the Alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Centre under the President’s decree on measures to develop a reading culture and form a reading nation. Representatives of the ministries of culture and information and of artificial intelligence and digital development, the Digital Government Support Centre, the National Academic Library, the Kazakhstan Institute for Public Development and the expert community took part.
The platform will merge the holdings of state libraries into a single electronic catalogue regardless of departmental affiliation. Participants discussed integrating electronic catalogues, developing digital services and a single electronic reader card, “Zerdeli Ult”, which would give access to the resources of connected libraries wherever the reader is registered. They also considered using artificial intelligence to catalogue and search books and to give readers personal recommendations. Vice Minister Rustam Ali said a single platform will unite the country’s libraries in a shared information space, widen citizens’ access to holdings and improve reader service.
What it means: For now this is a meeting about an idea: a single catalogue, a reader card and AI-based recommendations. There are no launch dates, budget or list of libraries to be connected in the statement.
Who benefits: Readers who want one card and one search across the holdings of different libraries, and the libraries themselves, which will get a common system. How much it will cost and who will build the platform, the ministry did not say.
Background: The meeting was held to carry out the President’s decree on measures to develop a reading culture and form a reading nation.
