Material Preservation & Restoration Training Workshop at the National Library of Viet Nam

Preservation of information resources plays an extremely important role in conserving the library collections, protecting the national cultural heritage, and helping people at present and in the future be able to see the past. To be one of the central professional activities of the library service, along with the acquisition of specialized and modern equipment, the training of preservation and restoration skills for officials working on this activity has also been a focus of investment. On that basis, in recent years, the National Library of Viet Nam (NLV) has coordinated with many international partners and preservation experts from developed countries, such as Australia, Germany, the United States, Japan… to organize workshops and training courses for librarians working at provincial/city libraries, archive centers, museums, training institutions and information agencies across the country.

With the permission of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, on the morning of October 23, 2023, the National Library of Viet Nam coordinated with the Chinese Embassy to Viet Nam to open a Training Workshop on Preservation and Restoration of Materials.

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Panoramic view of the Workshop opening ceremony

Attending the event, on the side of the invited guests, there were Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa – Director General of the International Cooperation Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Vu Hung Cuong – Director of the Institute of Social Sciences Information; Mr. Nguyen Huu Gioi – President of the Vietnamese Library Association. On the side of the Organizing Committee, there were Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dung – NLV Director, Mr. Banh The Doan – Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy to Viet Nam; and the Vietnamese and Chinese experts of the training workshop, representatives of leaders and officials working on preservation field from public libraries, academic libraries, specialized libraries, archives, and museums across the country.

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Panoramic view of the Workshop opening ceremony

Speaking at the opening of the Training Workshop, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dung – NLV Director shared: “With the strength on professional activities of Chinese experts, the training workshop will be a good opportunity for Vietnamese librarians to learn more about the NLC’s techniques and experiences accumulated over hundreds years of conducting preservation and restoration of ancient materials, with preservation and restoration works that have great reputation in the world, such as Zhaocheng Jinzang, Dunhuang Yishu… or current practices of preserving digital resources at this Library. In addition, the trainees also received practical experiences sharing about preservation of traditional materials and digital resources from experts of the National Library of Viet Nam”.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dung – Director of the National Library of Viet Nam delivers the opening speech of the Training Workshop

The Training Workshop was held from October 23-25, 2023 with the participation of more than 100 trainees. At the training workshop, trainers will disseminate knowledge about: Preserving and safely using antique books and special collections; Preserving traditional materials at the National Library of Viet Nam; General overview about Digital Preservation Process and Tools; Practices of Long-term Conservation, and Strategic Planning for Digital Resources at the National Library of China; General overview about restoring ancient books…

Mr. Banh The Doan – Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy to Viet Namgives a remark

At the end of the training course, trainees will master the principles, knowledge and methodologies of preserving and restoring materials; the work of protecting and promoting value of endangered ancient materials to prolong the materials’ life, contributing to preserve the cultural heritage, promote the quintessence of national culture and transferred to future generations to continue inheriting and using.

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Taking souvenir photos at the opening ceremony of the Training Workshop

Some photos at the Training Workshop:

Ms. Liu Bingmei – National Library of China presents the paper on “Preservation and safe use of antique books and special collections”

Ms. Le Phuong Lan – National Library of Viet Nam presents the paper on “Preservation of traditional materials at the National Library of Viet Nam”

Mr. Le Duc Thang - National Library of Viet Nam presents the paper on “General overview about Digital Preservation Process and Tools”

Ms. Zhong Jingjing - National Library of China presents the paper on “Practices of long-term Conservation, and Strategic Planning for Digital Resources at the National Library of China”