Attending guests at the seminar were Ms. Nguyen Hoai Thu, Main Specialist, Library Department, Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism; Dr. Nguyen Trong Phuong, Head of Research and Professional Guidance Department of the National Library of Vietnam; Dr. Le Van Viet, Former Deputy Director of the National Library of Vietnam; Mr. Pham The Khang, Former President of Vietnam Library Association; and Mr. Nguyen Khac Loi, Former Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports.
General view of the seminar
Geospatial materials of Thang Long – Hanoi are not only intangible cultural heritages to be preserved and promoted but also invaluable potential resources of information that reflect the cultural and spiritual values of the nation. They are also regarded as a means of knowledge for the promotion of the development of science, technology, and production of the capital city as well as the building of the image of its citizens. Hanoi Library has established its special role upon choosing the field of geography as its specific and key field of activity. At the present, Hanoi Library has more than 20,000 geospatial materials, including: books, newspapers, magazines, photos, maps, documents of stele literature, electronic documents, and so on.
In his speech at the seminar, Mr. Pham The Khang, Former President of Vietnam Library Association, stated that in consideration of Hanoi Library’s role as the home to the largest source of geospatial materials on Thang Long – Hanoi, the promotion of the value of its geospatial materials would play a particularly important role in Hanoi’s process of building the image of a capital city for startups. It is necessary to digitize Hanoi geospatial materials and use information technology to attend to the demand for information on startups of enterprises, entrepreneurs, young people, and others who wish to start a business in the capital city.
Mr. Pham The Khang, Former President of Vietnam Library Association, delivering his speech at the seminar
In the opinion of Dr. Le Van Viet, Former Deputy Director of the National Library of Vietnam, present-day geospatial activities not only revolve around the search for information, but also involve the participation in the process of studying and building local documents, genealogical documents, and family records in order to preserve cultural and social values. He suggested Hanoi Library create publications on Thang Long – Hanoi as well as collect and introduce geospatial books by posting them on the library’s website to attend to the demand for information of the capital city’s citizens.
Another opinion was given by Mr. Nguyen Khac Loi, Former Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports. He stated that it was necessary to promote the value of geospatial materials in many different ways. In particular, attention should be paid to the promotion of geospatial materials in the district-level library network as well as the private library system. In addition, the building of geospatial material collection should be accompanied by specific programs and plans, especially mechanisms, policies, and regulations to be applied to management agencies and issuing agencies.
Minh Trang