• 2013-11-29

Tseng Shu-hsien, Director General of the National Central Library, signed a memorandum of cooperation regarding “Taiwan Resource Center for Chinese Studies (TRCCS)” with school of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, the United Kingdom on the 4th of November, with University of Leipzig, Germany on the 7th of November and with the National Library of Latvia on the 8th of November. These were followed by an inauguration ceremony. Furthermore, in view of expanding the benefits of resource sharing, a memorandum of cooperation on “Union Catalog of Chinese Rare Books” was signed with Leipzig University Library in Germany and another with the British Library on “International Dunhuang Project, IDP.” The NCL collection of ancient treasures engraved book on “The Scorched Edition of the Annotated Dongpo’s Poetry” was offered to each Library that signed a memorandum of cooperation. From 24th to the 30th of November, Liao Shiow-Man, director of the International Cooperation Division, went to Vietnam and Malaysia for the signing of the memorandum of cooperation on the TRCCS” with the Ho Chi Minh City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, and the Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman The inauguration ceremony followed, too. Director General Tseng, during the Europe trip to the TRCCS, pointed out the NCL has been steadily providing the TRCCS branches with a wealth of publications on Chinese studies, and the TRCCS branches serve following specific functions: (1) Presenting Taiwan's achievements and academic resources in the field of Chinese studies：The TRCCS partner organizations annually receive books, audio-visual materials and e-resources published in Taiwan. The NCL has also established an IP channel for partner organizations to search the digital resources of the library and CCS within copyright limits. In addition, the library provides a collection of links to other Sinological resources in Taiwan to further serve scholars and experts and expand research ability with win-win results. (2) Promoting international exchanges in Chinese studies：The TRCCS branches are established at prominent centers for Chinese studies and key universities with development potential. These partners are chosen to facilitate joint promotion of academic and professional exchanges supported by the research resources and influence of the collaborating organization. In addition, the NCL plans to jointly organize academic or cultural activities related to Chinese studies with partner organizations. The NCL will also add links on its website to overseas TRCCS branches and report related activities to further develop the role of the centers as an interactive platform in the Chinese studies community. (3) Enhancing global cultural substance and inclusiveness：By the end of 2013, TRCCS will have established branches in the United States, Russia, United Kingdom, Germany, Latvia, Malaysia and Vietnam. In building up the Taiwan and Chinese studies resources at these centers, the NCL aims to jointly enrich local cultural substance with partner organizations. This collaborative process has also highlighted a strong interest in Chinese studies among non-Chinese communities. Even more encouraging has been the mutual appreciation and learning witnessed between different cultures and the significant progress it enables in replacing cultural conflict and opposition with reconciliation and peace.