On the afternoon of September 25, at the Center for Information, Library and Museum of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (USSH, VNUHCM), a working session was held with representatives of the Korean Consulate to survey and evaluate the current operational status of the "Window on Korea" (WOK) space.
Representatives of the University and the Korean Consulate discussing directions for developing the "Window on Korea" cultural space - Photo: THUY QUYNH
Welcoming Ms. Choi Kyeong Joo, Korean Consul in Ho Chi Minh City, and Ms. Kang Han Byeol, an intern, was Dr. Bui Thu Hang, Director of the Center for Information, Library and Museum. The purpose of the survey is to collect information to propose support and improvement plans for WOK in the future.
Dr. Bui Thu Hang, Director of the Center for Information, Library and Museum during the survey - Photo: THUY QUYNH
Established in 1957, the Center for Information, Library and Museum is one of the long-standing libraries, currently housing 233,296 books and items. Among them, there are 6,641 documents related to Korea, including WOK publications. The library welcomes an average of 20,657 visitors per year and operates for 296 days.
Library space at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNUHCM (Linh Xuan campus) - Photo: THUY QUYNH
The WOK at the Library is arranged in a common space of 1,873m2, located within 13 service rooms. WOK documents are placed together with other documents about Korea in this space. “On average, there are about 82 users of WOK or the document room where WOK is located each day. The number of documents accessed daily is 3 on average. The main users are students and lecturers, especially students and researchers in Korean Studies” - said Dr. Bui Thu Hang.
Consul Choi Kyeong Joo and Dr. Bui Thu Hang discussing the difficulties and proposals to improve the WOK space - Photo: THUY QUYNH
However, the operation of WOK still faces several challenges. The biggest issue is that the library staff lacks personnel capable of communicating in Korean, causing difficulties in processing special documents without ISBN codes. In addition, the current book collection only has one copy for each title, while user demand, especially for digital documents, academic journals, and online databases, is increasing. Regarding facilities, WOK lacks tables, chairs, and computers that have become outdated, with slow processing speeds.
Ms. Choi Kyeong Joo, Korean Consul, surveying the books in the "Window on Korea" space in the Library - Photo: THUY QUYNH
To address these issues, the University's Center for Information, Library and Museum proposes that the National Library of Korea sponsor additional copies of books and support access to databases on social sciences and humanities. The library also hopes to receive funding for new technological equipment such as computers, laptops, and Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, along with tables and chairs to complete the space serving students.
Some other photos at the working session:
THUY QUYNH
