TEHRAN -- Iran currently has more than 300 public-library construction projects underway across the country, with their completion expected to add more than 300,000 square meters of library space, Culture Minister Seyyed Abbas Salehi said Monday.
Speaking at a ceremony here marking the launch of four new mobile public-library vehicles, Salehi said expanding access to books and reading services was a central component of the government’s cultural policy, particularly in underserved areas.
“Books and reading are a fundamental part of the identity and continuity of Iran’s civilization,” Salehi said. He linked the expansion of both fixed and mobile libraries to what he described as the pursuit of “cultural justice.”
Salehi said more than 60 library construction projects, covering over 25,000 square meters, had been completed during the recent period, while more than 65 existing public libraries, with a combined area exceeding 65,000 square meters, had undergone redesign and functional upgrades.
The more than 300 projects now under construction face funding challenges, however. Salehi said they do not have a dedicated capital-assets budget line and therefore require financing through provincial allocations and cooperation between government institutions.
The ministry is also expanding Iran’s mobile-library network as a way of reaching communities without permanent library facilities. According to Salehi, the number of mobile libraries has increased from 57 at the beginning of the current administration to 80 following recent launches, with the government expecting the fleet to reach twice its initial level by the end of the year.
Four newly deployed mobile libraries will serve 28 urban and rural locations without library facilities in the provinces of Gilan, Kerman, Hormozgan and Hamadan. The vehicles will operate in Rudsar, Sirjan, Bandar Abbas and Malayer.
Salehi also called for greater participation by private donors and charitable organizations in completing unfinished library projects and equipping mobile units. He described mosques, schools and libraries as three principal pillars of Iran’s cultural infrastructure.
The minister said the government is simultaneously pursuing changes to the law governing Iran’s public library institution. The proposed reform, which has been under consideration following approval by the parliament’s Cultural Commission, has yet to receive final legislative approval.

Technology is another part of the government’s plans. Salehi said libraries and reading are moving from traditional models toward digital services and that artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies could be used to redesign library services for changing reading habits.
The public library institution is preparing new technological infrastructure, he said, with the aim of creating a significant technological development in its services over the next two years.
Salehi also said discussions were underway over the possibility of holding an in-person edition of Iran’s book fair in November. 
The country held its book fair virtually this year, a format he said expanded access to readers in remote areas but lacked some of the cultural and social interaction associated with a physical event. Final approval for an in-person edition has not yet been given.