As of 2006, the library had a collection of 5 million items including books, maps, manuscripts, dissertations, journals, and newspapers; there were about 22,000 members.[2] Book exhibitions were regularly held both in its premises and provincial libraries.[2] Yet, the library played an insignificant role in society, and as of 2007, remained the only Central Asian library not to join the Library Assembly of Eurasia.[3][4]
In 2005, the library received funds to replace its card catalogs with an online public access catalog (OPAC);[2] as of 2012, no progress has been made.[5] Internet literacy among librarians remained low, as of 2012.[5] Statistics on the publication of books in Turkmenistan remain unavailable, and the national bibliography has been stale for years.[3][4]
