KATHMANDU: Preparations are in full swing to host the 2nd National Community and Public Library Conference on June 29-30 this year.

In a press conference organized by the Ministry, Under-Secretary Yadav Chandra Niraula spoke of the need to increase the use and expand the services of the libraries that, he said, would render services to people from all walks of life, including caste, creed, religion, and gender.

The event which will review the existing problems plaguing the public library sector is going to be organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in association with Read Nepal and Shanti Volunteering Association, a Japanese non-governmental organization.

Similarly, the two-day event will also discuss development of libraries, expansion and effectiveness of such public reading spaces.
The first community library was established in Solukhumbu district in 1991. Library service, however, was officially launched in Nepali in the month of Bhadra 15 in 1869 BS.

There are around 500 public libraries across the country while libraries in public offices remain to be recorded and categorized.