Mission
Saakashvili Presidential Library is a Political Science and Educational Center aiming at promoting liberal democratic values and the ideas of freedom, national unity and independence, free market economy and progress throughout Georgian society and entire post-soviet space. The Library aims at supporting Georgia’s new generations to think and act as active citizens; it helps students and youth in general to consolidate their views, share experience, network and plan and build their common future around common values and common interest. Goals & Objectives
• full scale scientific library resource in political science and urban studies
• contemporary discussion platform for young generation and active citizens
• civil network of active citizens throughout Georgia and wider region
• an academic network of students and young scholars
• information hub for local and foreign media and political science scholars
Saakashvili Presidential Library is located in the center of Tbilisi, surrounded by several universities and is easily accessible for about 30 thousand students who study in the immediate neighborhood. Besides, its central location decides that the students of all other universities may effortlessly access the Library for study and extracurricular activities. Architectural design of the Library belongs to a world famous architect Jürgen Mayer, and carries a clear imprint of progress and modernity. SPL provides excellent infrastructure for reading, books storage, a conferencing, along with meeting rooms and working spaces. The Library prioritizes the exposure of new generations to western world both in physical and ideational terms, their civil upbringing and strengthening of the culture of critical thinking and rational choice. After Rose Revolution in 2003, Georgia started to develop under President Mikheil Saakashvili’s government as a free and democratic state. Extremely difficult geopolitics notwithstanding, the country has succeeded to become a number one reformer state in Europe, reaching top positions in many international rankings in terms of reforms of almost all spheres of public life. Georgian society has followed and energized the reforms offered by the government. However, a very difficult and quick social change has caused near polarization of the segments of the society between those who was ready and eager to participate in reforms, bring their own share in the process of development, and those who suffered due to cultural, professional and economic reasons, amounting in a loss of social status for some, and in a rise in social ranking for others. The Library provides premises for conferences and seminars. Topic selection for seminars will be two-fold. They will follow an academic logic and will be conducted in a series. The library will announce the priorities and identify best offers in the area or priority. Georgian and foreign scientists, politicians and high ranking officials will be invited to speak before the students from various universities. The Library offers unique collection of contemporary literature in policy studies, social sciences, architecture and urban studies. Focused on policy and politics in general the Library provides newly published books in the fields of political theory and policy analysis, international relations and regional studies, national security, political communications, law and history, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, physiology, etc. The Library cooperates with main international publishers such as SAGE, Wiley, Cambridge, Chicago and Harvard Universities, Bloomsbury, Palgrave, Person, Rutledge and others. Special attention is paid to enology and winemaking studies, as something very important for Georgia.
