PM Anwar urges librarians to inspire a reading culture
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged librarians across the region to go beyond their traditional roles and take on the challenge of nurturing a vibrant reading culture, especially among the younger generation.
Speaking at the 19th Congress of Southeast Asian Librarians General Conference and Meeting (CONSAL XIX), Anwar said libraries must not merely serve as book repositories or aesthetic spaces, but rather as dynamic centres of knowledge, culture and intellectual engagement.
'A librarian's role is not only to collect books and decorate them in glass cabinets. It is to turn the library into a vital resource to raise awareness and inspire readers,' he said when opening the event at the World Trade Centre here today.
The Prime Minister also emphasised that librarians must become effective guides in introducing readers to exciting content, as well as utilising technology and digital tools to reach a wider audience.
Also present were National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang, National Unity Deputy Minister K. Saraswathy and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
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