The success of Bulgaria's 19th century Revival period is widely attributed by historians to the spread of the chitalishte – a cross between a public library and community centre – that acted as the focal point for cementing the national identity and disseminating new ideas.

Their role diminished through the years, never more so than after the fall of communism, when the absence of funding and Bulgaria's opening to the world put a dent in the chitalishte's role as gateway to knowledge. But thanks to a joint initiative by the Bulgarian Culture Ministry and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), backed by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the chitalishte could regain some of its importance.

Glob@l Libraries Bulgaria says its goal is to facilitate access to information, knowledge, communication and community services through Bulgaria's public libraries network. Within five years, it aims to increase library usage throughout the country and help Bulgarians integrate into the global information society as libraries expand their reach and activities, becoming increasingly important for local development.

The programme is not new, the first requests for information arriving back in 2004, although preparatory work started in 2006 and an agreement was inked in 2008. Its total costs are $50 million, including $15 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which carried out similar projects in Chile and Canada, a $6 million donation of software from Microsoft, the balance provided by Bulgarian authorities to improve or build new infrastructure.

As part of the programme, 900 public libraries throughout Bulgaria will receive at least three to six computers, with centres set up to provide training for 3000 library workers and regional coordination offices to oversee operations.

Microsoft will provide software for the new computers, but also for libraries that already had computers and were being supplemented with more. All computers would have access to the Ciela database of Bulgarian legislation.

The project implementation is carried out by Glob@l Libraries under oversight from UNDP, with the first phase in 455 libraries under way. The libraries for the second phase will be selected this summer, with 740 applicant libraries competing to get in.

Once the system is in place, Glob@l Libraries will promote the availability of the new facilities and train local residents, most of them in small towns and villages without little or no other internet access, to use the resources available.