Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 13th Razavi Reading Festival, Salehi said, “If we want reading to not become a thing of the past, we must take library development more seriously with the support of both public and private resources.”

Salehi added, “Reading in our country does not reflect the culture and civilization of Iranians, and positive changes must occur in this area.”

The minister stressed the need for better access to books, pointing out that the economic conditions have led to a decline in cultural consumption within households. “The cultural consumption basket of families has decreased in recent years,” he said, adding that the share of books in household consumption dropped from 0.18% in 2017 to 0.10% in 2023.

Salehi elaborated on the repercussions of this trend, saying, “If this gap in access to books is not addressed, reading will face serious challenges.”

He emphasized that libraries serve as a crucial second source of access to books, particularly as families are increasingly constrained by their budgets.

Salehi revealed that there are only 49 million books in Iran’s public libraries, describing this figure as inadequate. He advocated for a serious commitment to enhancing library resources, adding, “If we want to cultivate a nation of readers, we must focus more on securing library resources,” Iran Daily reported.

Comparing Iran’s library infrastructure to other countries, Salehi noted that there are approximately four libraries for every 100,000 people in Iran, while countries like Russia have 61, Italy 21, and India 11. “To prevent reading from becoming a relic of the past, we must take library development more seriously with the help of public and private resources,” he emphasized.

The minister called for making libraries more appealing, indicating that over 50% of those who enjoy reading do not visit libraries. “Improving libraries involves various strategies, and we must eliminate obstacles,” he added.