PUTRAJAYA, The inaugural Perdana Reading Carnival organised by the National Library will be held in July this year to revitalise the National Reading Month campaign, announced National Unity Minister Datuk Aaron Ago Dagang.
Aaron stated that the carnival’s implementation aligns with nurturing a knowledgeable and culturally rich MADANI society.
“It also aims to fully support the National Reading Decade initiative, which aims to make Malaysia a Reading Nation by 2030.
“The carnival will also cultivate a sustainable reading culture by fostering partnerships and initiatives to ensure long-term impact and promote enduring reading habits,” he said during the launch of the Let’s Read Together for 10 Minutes campaign at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Putrajaya Presint 9 (2) here today.
The Let’s Read for 10 Minutes campaign was held in conjunction with World Book and Copyright Day observed on April 23 every year.
Regarding the reading rate among Malaysians, Aaron stated that the Malaysian Reading Profile Study 202
2/2023 conducted by the National Library showed a significant increase from two books per year in 2005 to 24 books per year in 2022 and 2023.
“This increase is the result of various empowerment programmes implemented over time,” he said.
Aaron mentioned that the National Library, along with village and community libraries, and the Perlis State Public Library, conducted 73,406 programmes to promote reading with 2.32 million participants of various ages, groups, and ethnicities last year.
He noted that last year, the National Library received 851,386 visitors, including 103,033 physical visitors and 748,353 virtual visitors through its website and social media platforms.
“The National Library also provides online reference and reading services through u-Pustaka. Malaysians can benefit from these digital resources for free,” he said, adding that 678,616 Malaysians have registered as u-Pustaka members as of February this year.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency