Lawmakers Urge Modernization of Library Policy Amid Technological Shifts

Kathmandu. Lawmakers have stressed the need to update the library policy in line with changing technology, the increasing use of social media, and the federal governance system. They expressed this view while discussing the draft of the proposed library policy in a meeting of the Public Policy and Delegated Legislation Committee of the National Assembly on Friday.

During the discussion, Nepali Congress lawmaker Sunil Bahadur Thapa stated that people have recently started considering social media as an alternative to libraries. He believes that a policy balancing physical and e-libraries is necessary. He emphasized the need to classify libraries based on geographical conditions, as establishing uniform physical libraries across all locations in Nepal would be challenging due to the country's topography.

Speaking at the meeting, lawmaker Thapa said, 'Recently, people have started considering social media as a library. Therefore, the biggest challenge today is the issue of physical libraries and e-libraries. Due to our country's geographical environment, physical libraries are also challenging. Hence, it seems necessary to classify libraries according to geographical conditions.'

Similarly, Communist Party of Nepal lawmaker Madan Kumari Sah noted that the library policy formulated in 2064 BS was prepared according to the then governance system and technological conditions. She believes that with the implementation of the federal governance system and rapid technological development, the old policy needs to be amended and the concept of libraries redefined. She stated that it is necessary to enrich the new library policy by embracing technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and federalism.

Lawmaker Sah said at the meeting, 'We feel the need to amend the 2064 BS library policy. That policy was formulated considering the governance system and technological development of 2064 BS. With the way technology has developed and we have moved to federalism, we need to proceed based on the need to redefine libraries accordingly.'

Likewise, CPN-UML lawmaker Rukmini Koirala expressed the view that libraries can achieve expected outcomes only if the federal, provincial, and local levels establish them by incorporating cultural, social, and economic subject matter. She argued that merely creating a library policy would not lead to its effective implementation and stressed the need for the government to arrange adequate financial resources for it.

Lawmaker Koirala said, 'I believe that libraries can achieve expected outcomes if federal, provincial, and local governments establish them by incorporating cultural, social, and economic subject matter.' She added that since financial resources are necessary for the policy's implementation, the government should hold further discussions with stakeholders on this matter. Most of the lawmakers present at the meeting agreed on the need to revise the library policy according to the demands of the time.