TÜRK KÜTÜPHANECİLİĞİNİN KÖŞE TAŞI OLARAK HALKEVİ KÜTÜPHANELERİ: İZMİR HALKEVİ KÜTÜPHANESİNDEN BUGÜNE YANSIYANLAR
PEOPLE’S HOUSE LIBRARIES AS THE CORNERSTONE OF TURKISH LIBRARIANSHIP: REFLECTIONS FROM IZMIR PEOPLE’S HOUSE LIBRARY

Summary/Abstract: This study aims to bring a different and comparative perspective to the new century of the Republic through the services of the Izmir People's House, one of the best and most effective examples of its kind in Turkey, and the results of these services. In this context, through the library's services, principles, conditions of use, activities, and especially the details of the relationship between the library and the non-formal education responsibilities that the public house undertook for the society, a crosssection of the history of Turkish librarianship with a unique meaning and depth has been tried to be viewed from today's window. In the study, the descriptive method was used to construct the conceptual background of the public houses, their services, the perception they created in society and their place in Turkey's cultural history. In compiling detailed information about the library, one of the main units of the Izmir People's House, which served between 1932 and 1951, primary and secondary sources were scanned, and then their contents were analyzed in accordance with the purpose of the study. The People's Houses are among the most effective and widespread examples of the educational breakthrough efforts in the first decade of the young Republic. One of the aspects that give the People's Houses their identity is their libraries and the meaning attributed to these libraries. This meaning and importance has been much more prominent in the Izmir People's House, depending on its competence and the services it offers. The quality and quantity of the services offered by the library is the most concrete explanation of this identity acquisition. Despite the limited time it served, the Izmir People's House library, which is one of the outstanding examples of People's House libraries in the history of Turkish librarianship that is relatively little known and whose comparison with today's cultural climate is limited, has demonstrated the ability and competence that can still serve as a guide for the library policy of the city in many respects. This ability was directly influenced by the fact that 'Fikirler' magazine, one of the city's most important periodicals, served as the library's official public relations and promotional tool. Unlike other studies that focus on People's Houses and their libraries, this study elaborates on the impact of the People's House and its library on the cultural climate of the city by tracing its traces to the present day. The contribution of the People's House and its library to the city is associated with urban identity rather than being a tool of the modernization movement. In this respect, the study stands apart from other studies on the subject of People’s houses,, and presents unique findings on the evolution of İzmir's urban culture up to the present day.

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