• 2024-02-28

On November 10^th, 2023, National Central Library Director-General Shu-hsien Tseng donated a Taiwan Corner to the Riga Central Library in Latvia’s capital in order to help foreign citizens learn about the beauty of Taiwan’s people and nature, promote international cultural exchange, and increase cultural interactions. The donation was received by Library Director Dzidra Šmita. Secretary Pei-shuo Liu of the Taipei Mission in the Republic of Latvia, Professor Mei-Fen Chen, Head of the Education Section, Taipei Representative Office in Poland, and Madam Viktorija Piščikova, consultant to the National Library of Latvia, were also in attendance to witness this moment of cultural exchange between two library institutions.

NCL Director-General Shu-hsien Tseng expressed that Taiwan Corner is an important brand that NCL developed in order to deepen international exchange, promote understanding between the people of Taiwan and other countries, and to put Taiwan’s image on display for the world. The planning concept emphasizes the promotion of Taiwan’s history, culture and environment, marketing a humanistic image and knowledge about Taiwan. NCL also caters the Taiwan Corner to local characteristics in each location, selecting appropriate themes and providing a diversity of publications, making these corners an excellent starting point for people all around the world to learn about Taiwan within important local libraries. Not only does Riga Central Library, the recipient of this Taiwan Corner donation, have a rich history, it is also a pioneer in the development of public libraries throughout the world, having established public reading rooms and a library in 1906. In addition, Riga Central Library has played an important role in exchanges among the global library community in recent years. Therefore, during an academic conference organized by the National Library of Latvia, NCL hopes not only to engage with the academic community, but that by establishing this Taiwan Corner, we can also provide quality publications to allow members of the public get acquainted with and begin to learn about Taiwan. Thus, the donation for this Taiwan Corner includes children’s picture books, 3-D books and maps of Taiwan, as well as books that encompass a diversity of topics about Taiwan, for example: history and local cultures and pieces from NCL and museum collections, including ancient texts, cultural relics, paintings, and works of calligraphy, publications about Taiwan’s natural environment, as well as contemporary Taiwanese literature and art.

The mission of Riga Central Library is to provide safe and reliable information in order to ensure free and equal access, support education and lifelong learning, develop reading skills, digital and media literacy, promote a societal interest in literature and reading, and advocate the protection of local cultural heritage, while at the same time developing the library as a “third space” —a free and open space for communities to gather, where individuals can transcend the traditional living spaces of the home and the workplace to engage in social interactions. These concepts align with the development of many Taiwan public libraries in recent years, demonstrating the trajectory of the role of libraries within these two free and democratic systems. These joint ideals serve as a beneficial foundation for ongoing bilateral cultural exchange.