The Ministry of Culture invests 3 million lei in the purchase of books

At the beginning of this week, the Ministry of Culture launched the procedure for selecting titles within the National Program for the Purchase of Books and Magazine Subscriptions in the Written Culture Category, the amount allocated for this year being 3 million lei. The money will be used in full for the purchase of books, given that, in previous years, the ministry has significantly supported culture magazines, informs the Ministry of Culture. Raluca Turcan, the Minister of Culture, said: "Since last year, I have emphasized the need for a new book purchase for Romanian libraries, at a budget adapted to the real needs of readers from all corners of the country. For this year, for the first time, we have an investment in books of 3 million lei, and today we are at the point where we are starting the book title selection procedure. The program includes all public libraries in Romania, the main partners being the county, city and municipal libraries. Children and young people will thus have support at hand in educational activities - because they will have easier access to the bibliography studied at school and will have the opportunity to create a habit of reading". The priority areas for selection are representative titles from classic and contemporary, Romanian and universal literature, representative literature for the V-XII school curriculum, representative works from the social and human sciences, reference works (such as dictionaries, atlases, guides) and critical editions of some works. The book selection criteria include the value and notoriety of the author and the work, the opportunity of acquisition in relation to the needs of the libraries, the need to complete the collections, the graphic execution of the book. The selection takes into account the titles printed between 2020 and 2023, and interested publishers can submit offers until March 29, 2024, informs the Ministry of Culture.