Hosted by the Presidential Nation’s Library of the Republic of Turkey and coordinated by the Turkey Accessible Informatics Platform, the “4th Accessible Libraries Workshop” was held with high participation from public institutions, universities, non-governmental organizations, and library professionals. The event was conducted in a hybrid format, both in-person and online.

The workshop was organized in collaboration with the Directorate General of Support and Financial Services of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, the General Directorate of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly of the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the General Directorate of Libraries and Publications of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Manisa Celal Bayar University.

The event began with opening speeches by Deputy Minister of Family and Social Services Zafer Tarıkdaroğlu and Dr. Mustafa Özhan Kalaç, a faculty member at Manisa Celal Bayar University and Coordinator of the Turkey Accessible Informatics Platform. During the workshop, accessible library practices in Turkey and abroad were discussed in detail.

The program focused on ensuring equal opportunities in accessing information, improving accessibility standards in libraries, and enabling individuals with disabilities to access information independently. Experts from academia, public institutions, and NGOs contributed to the event, where good practices in accessibility were also shared.

During the two-day workshop, 15 expert speakers presented accessible library practices from Turkey, Azerbaijan, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Bulgaria, and the Netherlands.

Within the scope of the program, panels titled “Accessible Library Services for All,” “Good Practices in Turkey,” and “Accessible Libraries from an International Perspective” were held. Group workshops were conducted on spatial, material, and digital accessibility, and solution-oriented suggestions were developed.

The Ministry of Family and Social Services presented Accessibility Flags to participants, and an online awareness seminar on “Sign Language and Deaf Culture” was also held.

At the end of the event, the suggestions, challenges, and good practices discussed during the workshop will be compiled into a “Final Report Book” and shared with institutional stakeholders.

Dr. Mustafa Özhan Kalaç, faculty member at Manisa Celal Bayar University and Coordinator of the Turkey Accessible Informatics Platform, stated that the workshop both accelerated existing practices and strengthened inter-institutional coordination.