President Igor Dodon promulgated the Law on Libraries, a bill designed to strengthen the role of libraries in society as a public service. The law comes with a new approach to the field, introducing the concept of ‘basic library services’, which will be offered free of charge to all library visitors, IPN reports.

Another innovation concerns professional training and continuous education for library staffs. The law also requires libraries to provide physical accessibility to people with disabilities and to organize special services to help their social inclusion. Libraries will also have to allot part of their budget to buying books in the languages of the minorities present in their area of service.

On average, a local public library has a budget of 60-70,000 lei, including wages. Given that the new law will come into force 18 months after its publication in the gazette, local and central authorities should have enough time to adjust library budgets in accordance with the new legal provisions, without generating extra costs.