This paper describes contemporary Turkish libraries and librarianship. It is based principally on information gleaned during the 1995 conference of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). The meeting was convened in Istanbul, more than 25% of the delegates were from Turkey, and approximately 15% of the papers were on topics relating to Turkish librarianship. It was a unique opportunity to learn about the library scene in Turkey firsthand, and to explore my special interest in academic libraries, with particular emphasis on the four universities whose language of instruction is English. A short history of library development and education for librarianship is given, followed by descriptions of problems facing Turkish librarianship and programs which address them. The national level projects which are underway, especially in the area of access to information in electronic form, hold promise for working around, if not overcoming, some of the constraints which exist in the library sector of modern-day Turkey.