Officially Designating April 21 Each Year as Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day

In Article 30 of the Library Law 2019, the National Assembly stipulates that April 21 each year will be celebrated as Vietnam Book and Reading Culture Day. April 21 each year also coincides with the Vietnam Book Day as stipulated in Decision 284/QD-TTg. This is aimed at encouraging and developing the reading culture within the community and society, emphasizing the profound significance and importance of reading in enhancing knowledge and skills, developing intellect, education, and cultivating human character.

Illustrative image (source: internet)

In addition, this new Law stipulates that the development of reading culture shall be implemented through the following activities:

- Organizing activities to form the habit of reading in families, schools, agencies, and organizations nationwide;- Providing guidance on reading methods and skills, and exploiting information resources for children at preschool education libraries and general education libraries;- Developing skills to search, exploit, and use information, expanding knowledge for library users;- Promoting connectivity between public libraries and other libraries in the area; accessing and exploiting information and knowledge from shared digital libraries via electronic devices; using mobile library services and circulating information resources.

Furthermore, the Law specifically prescribes State policies for the development of the library sector:

Firstly, the state invests in the following contents for public libraries:

- Prioritizing investment in the National Library of Vietnam, public libraries in provinces and centrally-run cities (hereinafter referred to as provincial libraries), and libraries with significant roles;- Modernizing libraries; establishing digital libraries, common information resources, and open information resources; interconnecting libraries domestically and internationally;- Collecting, preserving, and promoting the value of ancient, rare documents, and special collections with significant historical, cultural, and scientific value;- Organizing mobile library services and circulating information resources to serve border areas, islands, ethnic minority areas, and socio-economically disadvantaged or particularly difficult areas;- Training and improving capacity and developing library human resources;- Researching and applying advanced scientific and technological achievements in library operations.

Secondly, the state supports investment in the following areas:

- Providing public service delivery in the field of libraries, developing reading culture;- Maintaining and developing community libraries and private libraries that serve the community on a non-profit basis;- Shipping library materials to serve political tasks, border areas, islands, and socio-economically disadvantaged or particularly difficult areas;- International cooperation in the field of libraries.

The state has policies to encourage organizations and individuals to participate in these activities, with the Government of Vietnam detailing the libraries with significant roles prioritized for investment and ancient, rare documents and special collections with significant historical, cultural, and scientific value.

View the full text of the provisions at Library Law 2019, effective from July 1, 2020.

Thu Ba

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