NATIONAL LIBRARY OF VIETNAM

In the morning of November 29^th 2013, launching ceremony and inauguration of the training workshop on "Dewey Decimal Classification - Vietnamese Edition 23" (DDC23) has been held at the National Library of Viet Nam. This is one of three important international tools for information access and exchange in library – information activities being used by over 200,000 libraries in 138 countries. Translation and printing of the Dewey Decimal Classification - Vietnamese Edition 23 are done deriving from practical benefits of cataloguing, contributing to unification, standardization, information exchange and international integration of Vietnamese libraries, and at the same time basing on the demand for application of DDC in Vietnamese libraries. After the launching ceremony of the Vietnamese DDC23, the National Library of Viet Nam has held a ToT training workshop for the Dewey Decimal Classification - Vietnamese Edition 23 for representatives of some libraries, information centers, special libraries and library training institutions in Viet Nam. The training workshop is lectured by Dr. Julianne Beall, Assistant Editor of the Dewey Decimal Classification and lasts from November 29^th until December 6^th 2013. In the year 2014, the NLV will organize further training courses for using the Vietnamese DDC23 for all libraries and information centers nation wide.

In the afternoon of September 26^th, at the National Library of Viet Nam, the Ministry of Information and Communication coordinated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Embassy of the United Kingdom to Viet Nam to organize a Book Exhibition to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of Viet Nam – United Kingdom diplomatic relations. At the exhibition, the Organizing Committee has selected to exhibit about 1,000 precious documents, publications in English and Vietnamese which are being housed at the National Library of Viet Nam. These publications covering such fields as History, Politics, Economics, Culture, Art-Literature, Science-Technology, etc. have helped outline the development of the United Kingdom – a foggy land from England to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Especially, this is also a chance for book lovers to approach many famous English literature works which have been translated and published in Viet Nam decades ago.Beside displaying publications, the Exhibition also introduced to the public many documentary photos reflexing the comprehensive collaboration between Governments and the people of the two countries...

To implement the duty assigned by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Viet Nam (MoCST) to the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) in building the national standards for library activities, on 30^th August 2013, a Symposium entitled “Discussion and Contribution for the draft TCVN: Library activities – Terminologies and Definitions. Part 1. Basic Terminologies” has been co-organized at the NLV by Department of Science, Technology and Environment (MoCST) and the National Library of Viet Nam. The aim of the Symposium is to highlight the role of standardization in library activities and complete content of the library standards that have been compiled. The aim of standardization of the Library - Information activities is to reach an unification in description and catalogue of the library materials as well as creation of user service methods and library-information products towards low cost, high efficiency and time saving, etc. while benefits of the users and librarians are still ensured.