Abai Library Project wins U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation program
A project aimed at preserving, restoring, and digitizing the rare collection of the Abai Regional Universal Library has been selected as a winner of the U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) program, Qazinform News Agency reports.
“The project to preserve and digitize the rare collection of the Abai Library is an important international initiative aimed at preserving and studying Abai’s legacy, as well as promoting it in the international academic and cultural community,” according to the administration of Abai region.
The historical foundation of the project is linked to a trip to Semey by American researcher, writer, and journalist George Kennan. In 1885, he visited Semey and the library used by Abai, where he examined its collection of books. Later, Kennan wrote about Abai Kunanbayev in his works, becoming one of the first foreign researchers to introduce the great Kazakh thinker to an English-speaking audience.
As part of the project, a comprehensive program of preservation, conservation, restoration, and digitization will be carried out for manuscripts and rare publications from the library’s special collection. Particular attention will be given to valuable materials related to Abai’s life and legacy, as well as books that were read by the poet himself.
The project will ensure the long-term preservation of the rare collection, make unique materials available for academic research, and expand international access to this valuable cultural and intellectual heritage.
On August 10, President Tokayev congratulated the people of Kazakhstan on Abai Day.
How many people share the name Abai in Kazakhstan - read here.
Kazakhstan Cultural Center in Beijing hosted a roundtable meeting on “Abai - A Great Personality,” bringing together diplomats, scholars, writers, translators and cultural figures from both countries.
