• 2020-02-03

The National Central Library (NCL) has always emphasized the importance of its participation in international exchanges. The library maintains good relations with Taiwan’s representative offices around the world, while also frequentlywelcoming visiting fellow librarians from China and overseas. Between Octoberand December 2019, five delegations totaling 49 library staff visited thelibrary.

Among these many distinguished guests and groups visiting the library to participatein exchange activities was a group led by Prof. Zhenlong Jiang of Fujian Normal University of 42 Chinese literature specialists and teachers based at differentschools around Fujian Province. The group, called the 2019 Fujian Humanitiesand Social Sciences Chinese Language and Literature Teacher Training Group,visited the library on October 12, 2019, with the aim of finding out more about Taiwan’s academic resources and how to use them. Members of library staff gave thema guided tour of the library’s special collections which left them with deepimpressions of NCL’s collection of ancient books and documents. During thevisit they also had the chance to experience the Little Sun VR Exhibition.

OnNovember 14, Mr. Omer Caspi, representative of the Israel Economic and CulturalOffice in Taipei (ISECO), visited the library accompanied by his wife and colleagues,to pay NCL Director-General Shu-hsien Tseng an official visit. They discussed the activities jointly organized by the NCL and ISECO’s for the 2019 Taiwan ReadingFestival and the 2020 International Holocaust Remembrance Day, as well futurepossibilities to work together. Soon afterwards, they visited the “Images of Childhood in Taiwan’s Memory” exhibition and the library’s Rare Book Room, whichleft them with a strong impression of the ancient books in the NCL’scollection.

On November 26, the curator of the Southeast Asia Collection at UC Berkeley’sSouth/Southeast Asian Library, Virginia Shih, visited the library to discuss sharing Southeast Asia collections and resources. During her visit, Ms. Shih took the opportunity to admire NCL’s treasured collection of palm leaf Buddhist sutras.

The following day, two scientific researchers from the Philippines Science and Technology Information Institute, Ms. Marievic V. Narquita and Ms. Irene A.Brillo, visited the library to conduct benchmarking. During their visit, they watched a video introducing the NCL and participated in discussions. This wasfollowed by a visit to the library’s Digital Center and Rare Books Room. They alsotook the opportunity to experience the Little Sun VR Exhibition and visit thelibrary’s other services and facilities.

On the morning of December 17, the Director of the National Library of Mongolia, Ms. IchinkhhorlooBayarkhuu, and an experienced official from the Ulaanbaatar Trade and EconomicOffice in Taipei, Mr. Bayarbaatar, visited the NCL. The guests visited the services and facilities on each floor of the library as well as the Rare Books Room,where Special Collections staff showed them around the library’s specialcollection of Mongolia-related documents and explained its secret history. Inthe afternoon, Director Ichinkhhorloo gave a talk in the International Conference Hall, entitled “The National Library of Mongolia: Past, Present, andFuture."