The minister made the remark at the closing ceremony of the Razavi Book Reading Festival held in Shiraz, Fars Province, on Monday evening, farhang.gov.ir reported.
Iran enjoys over 3,700 public libraries, Esmaeili said, pointing out that in some small cities and towns these centers are the only cultural places available.
Speaking about per capita reading in Iran, he said that according to the studies conducted in Iran, nearly 64 percent of Iranians read books, and this figure does not include reading the Qur’an, religious books and university textbooks.
About the Tehran International Book Fair, the minister said that the last exhibition of the fair fetched $3.2 million, while the 33rd edition grabbed $8.9 million.
“Thus far, I have had 31 provincial trips, in which I had programs such as inaugurating libraries, or equipping them,” the minister said.
The development of public libraries of the country is one of the important programs of the ministry in order to expand cultural justice, the minister said.
Source: Iran Daily