Uzbek Libraries in the Age of Reforms: Serving Communities, Supporting the Countries Transformation

Abstract

Libraries are key players in national development. Uzbekistan, despite an old civilization teeming with rich history and cultural heritage, has only declared independence as the Republic of Uzbekistan in 1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Over the past years of independence, libraries have undergone a lot of changes. In 2016 the second president started a new direction described as “A Quiet Revolution and Revolution from Above” introducing reforms and forging development. This paper focuses the analysis within the four key library institutions on spaces and innovative technologies. Specifically, it will address the questions: 1) how libraries in Uzbekistan provide spaces for promoting community engagement and 2) how innovative technologies adopted in Uzbekistan are reshaping libraries to promote transformation and reforms. The researchers, being aware that information about libraries in Uzbekistan is very limited, shares a perspective of how libraries in Uzbekistan continuously play their role in progressive reforms through socially-relevant, civic-oriented and innovation-driven programs. The case of four libraries provide insights on how libraries played an important role in the community, supporting reforms in the national level.