1. Report: Tunisian public libraries affected due to the
uprising of the Tunisian people
Introduction
The Revolt of the Tunisian people to regain their dignity was at stir among their
neighbors and blew the winds of freedom around the world. Like any popular revolt
this revolt has created expectations and damage ... The infiltration of the goons in the
popular uprising of youth has caused damage. Forty public libraries were destroyed,
and damage is considerable estimated at 400 000 dinar equivalent of 200 thousand
Euro that has affected the entire public library network (BP) (see attached list).
1-Presentation of the network of public libraries:
The public library network (BP) falls within the Tunisian Ministry of Culture and
Heritage Preservation. For a country of 10 million inhabitants, this network includes
370 public libraries including 340 libraries and 30 other fixed phones in all regions of
Tunisia. There are a 24 governorates libraries and the branch libraries or municipal
district, a subdivision that is consistent with the administrative and territorial division.
The effort by the young state after independence (1956) in the sector of public reading
was a major undertaking for a country with limited resources: the national dignity
could be restored only through access to knowledge. Thus, the sector went through his
first steps in the wake of the investigation and the widespread enrollment. Public
libraries have been created by modern standards from the 4th Development Plan
(1972/1976) to the current 11th Plan (2007/2011), with an annual rate of around 10
new libraries. The BP network now has a substantial human and material resources, a
thousand and a half permanent staff, annual procurement of a value equivalent to one
and half million U.S. dollars have enabled the development of public library
collections to 5.5 million books. These resources should allow the development of the
reading base for cultural development that should emerge on a large scale.
This network has been gradually implemented, locally and regionally, in the cultural
landscape of the country to take up and integrate it. Indeed, the public library has
become undeniably the most popular cultural institution among students. She is ahead
by attending cultural and scientists clubs included in the 470 youth and cultural
centers and associations. Collections and services have been of greate benefit to BP 2
million young people in school: students and majority students (90.51% of users).
2-Problems of the network of public libraries (PL)
However, the contradictions are numerous: the PL collections are in contrast to
expectations of these young people. It consists mostly of literary titles (novels, short
stories and poetry) -56% - and the social sciences 36%, only 8% is devoted to basic
science and technology, while youth in Tunisia increasingly marked by materials
scientists opt for reading utility and demand works in areas close to their studies or
their future professions. The large distortion is clear-cut: between "supply" highly
centralized where BP are characterized by inefficiency, and "demand", plural and
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2. specific. The difference between a policy of vertical development and the needs of
users, more and more diversified, can generate enormous wastage.
The solution of the modernization of the services provided by public libraries is
indigent, 160 libraries have been equipped with computers connected to the Internet.
However Internet accessibility is very limited to PL, because the control of the
political police is degrading and the price of access remains very high compared to
prices offered by Publinets or cultural centers.
Certainly, the deficiencies in infrastructure, equipment and coaching culture and
information are tenacious and are still being felt. They have created a disincentive for
the development of widespread public reading.
It is the movement of civil society that has tried to reactivate it. In order to entrench
the tradition of reading among the various categories of the Tunisian society, the
Tunisian Association of documentalists, librarians and archivists has mobilized in the
early 90s, its members to lead the network of BP. Since an incentive plan on reading
was hired by « the public reading direction » of the Ministry of Culture. In addition,
thirty local associations of friends of libraries and books that contributed from the 70s
to publicize the book and reading. Lately, they have formed the National Federation
of Associations of Friends of the Library and the book aims to pool the efforts of the
motivation for reading. It is essential to prepare a company that knows how to reflect
and innovate, because all social movements arise.
Unemployment among graduates of higher education and consciousness of scholars
have prepared the conditions for rebellion against the government since 2008 in the
mining area of Gafsa.
3 - Libraries close to the government were sacked
The extraordinary Tunisian people's uprising in January 2011 turned into revolt for
democracy and freedom, created like any revolt, much hope and many problems.
Libraries generally close to public buildings representing the state and power have
been vandalized. Forty public libraries were looted or burned, hardware damaged, and
damage to the holdings are considerable.
In the present context, the attack of a library can not however be interpreted
unequivocally as an act perpetrated against the city, culture and democracy. Complex
in nature and fundamentally ambivalent, it must be understood in the context of
conflicts between state and youth classes.
It is in the process of lighting services excluding education and reading public (known
under several names: "illiteracy, poor readers, learning disabilities, semi-literacy,
under- schooling ", and presented in various forms) that researchers should address
this poignant question:" Why do we burn a library?"
By depriving young people of school BP, sociocultural institution of busiest, the risk
would be great to worsen the slump. This would produce semi-human semi-illiterate
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3. and ignorant relieved of humanistic knowledge, may fear their polarizations by
obscurantism.
All professionals and activists of civil society and culture are sought for a
mobilization to repair ransacked libraries and recovery of resources and the rebirth of
their services.
Kind regards
Danielle Mincio
Member of IFLA Governing Board 2007-2009, 2009-2011
Secretary of the IFLA Preservation and Conservation Section
Conservateur des manuscrits
Responsable PAC
Présidente du COSADOCA
Bibliothèque cantonale et universitaire
Unithèque
CH 1015 Lausanne Dorigny Suisse
Tél +41 21 692 47 83
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