The Library Department of the Ministry is responsible on behalf of the Minister for guiding the development of the library sector throughout the country according to Communist Party guidelines and the policies and laws of the state. Its functions include drafting laws, ordinances and regulations relating to the libraries sector, drawing up short-term, long-term and annual plans for library development throughout the country, seeking co-operation with libraries and library organisations overseas, participating in various projects, programmes and activities concerned with librarianship and collaborating with related sectors to this end, organising national and regional seminars and conferences on different themes, offering guidance on the national book reading campaign and the establishment of the national library network, undertaking routine inspection work to check that laws and regulations are being complied with, implementing decisions of the Ministry with regard to the establishment of libraries throughout the country, rewarding excellence and dealing with violations in the librarianship sector according to laws and regulations, and administering the staff and property of the Department according to state regulations currently in force. The Library Department oversees the work of the National Library and provincial/municipal libraries throughout the country.