Türkiye Publishing Summit was held by the Directorate of Communications under the theme "Opportunities and Challenges in Publishing in the 21st Century" in Istanbul.
"From Bâbıâli to Present: Transformation of the Press World in Türkiye"
As part of the Türkiye Publishing Summit's "Opportunities and Challenges in Publishing in the 21st Century" programme, the session titled "From Bâbıâli to Present: Transformation of the Press World in Türkiye" was held in Rami Library.
In the session moderated by Erdal Cesar, the Secretary General of Istanbul Ticaret University, Dr Taner Beyoğlu, General Director of Libraries and Publications at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Dr İsrafil Kuralay, Chairman of the Turkish Press-Broadcasting Professional Association and High Advisory Board of the Press-Broadcasting Union, Bibliopolist Emin Nedret İşli, Pınar Publications Editor-in-Chief Cevat Özkaya, Turkuvaz Magazine Group Director Mustafa Akar delivered their speeches.
In his speech, Taner Beyoğlu announced the launch of a new project focused on compiling cultural heritage.
Beyoğlu stated that the term "compilation leak" is used for the works that were not brought to compilation libraries for various reasons, adding, "
Our rate of compilation leaks has been relatively high. The sophistication, richness, and production capacity in the publishing industry are growing. Concurrently, the number of published works is expanding at an accelerated pace. Recently, our Ministry has improved coordination between the compilation libraries I mentioned and the units under its jurisdiction, resulting in a decrease in the rate of compilation leaks. In fact, as of this year, we broke the record of the Republic's history with our entire sector, having compiled 119 thousand books and periodicals. And this is a promising development."
Beyoğlu shared details on muteferrika and national digital library projects, adding, “For the last two years, we have been organising a Publication Ideathon especially to attract young people to the publishing industry and to plant the idea in your minds that this, too, is a career path and professional field. We are implementing the concepts that emerge from there to address some of the fundamental and structural issues of our publishing industry, as well as to improve access to works and publications."
In his address, Bibliopolist Emin Nedret İşli remarked that in the exhibition in the hall, they presented a wide variety of materials printed from 1719 onward, spanning both the Ottoman and Republican eras, including works from the Müteferrika printing press to recent times.
İşli noted that catalogues and publisher materials linked to the books printed by publishers were also exhibited in the area and discussed a selection of books on the history of the Sublime Porte using visual presentations.
İşli mentioned that the first Turkish name encountered in the Porte was Hacı Kasım Efendi, and said that "Hacı Kasım Efendi comes from a prominent family. Even today, planners and the Saatli Maarif Calendars, a long-running traditional Turkish calendar featuring daily dates, religious holidays and cultural information, continue to be published. Ahmet Mithat Efendi is one of the most significant figures in our press history. He first started his career in Beyoğlu. The shop he opened there still stands, albeit abandoned. As a tradesman in Beyoğlu, I have been voicing my concerns for a long time."
Dr İsrafil Kuralay stated that the book "İstanbul's Cultural Face: Cağaloğlu, Sultanahmet, Beyazıt" which features the stories of institutions and organisations associated with Cağaloğlu and the Porte, and he said it is a valuable resource for that reason.
Cevat Özkaya described the evolution of publishing from the past to the present and provided examples of how publishing has changed, as well as the disappearance of publishing-related occupations like typesetting.
Mustafa Akar provided information on the evolution and prospects of Turkish magazine publishing.
Türkiye Publishing Summit
As part of the Summit, "The Future of Global Publishing: Hegemony, Ethics and New Narratives", "The Digitalisation of Publishing and the Future of Reading Culture", "Publishing as a Cultural Diplomacy Tool", "From Bâbıâli to the Present: The Evolution of Türkiye’s Publishing Industry in Türkiye", "Past, Present, and Future of Public Sector Publishing", "Writing for the Children of the 21st Century: New Trends in Children's Publishing", "Crossing Borders in Publishing: Accessible Publishing", "The Industry of Book at the Centre of Digital Transformation" and "The Legacy of Publishing in Türkiye: A Session of Testimonies." sessions were held.
The exhibition, aiming to present Türkiye's history of publishing from the Ottoman Era to the Republic using visual materials, included artifacts of Türkiye's rich publishing heritage.
As part of the Summit, a "Children's Stories with Artificial Intelligence Workshop" was organised. Participants had the opportunity to experience story writing, character design, and visual creation using AI-supported tools. Upon completion of the workshop, participants were awarded training certificates.
