Facilities                    Established       Administration & Staffing
           Membership & Services                             Collection & Computers

Facilities: The two-storey building housing the National Library was constructed in the French style in 1923. It formerly served as the Governor's residence, during the time when Laos was a French protectorate. The space is divided into four small reading rooms and offices. An adjacent newer building houses the Childrens' Library and the Lao Ancient Manuscript Preservation Project.

Established:

• 1 July 1956
• The library moved to these independent quarters in 1988. It was previously part of another ministry and shared space with museum and anthropology offices.
• Libraries in Laos, a website produced by Pierre Evald, provides  an interesting and informative online overview of past and present activities of the National Library and other libraries in Laos.

Administration & Staffing: Director:  Kongdeuane Nettavong, a who received her education in Thailand, France, the U.S. and the former U.S.S.R. She has been the director of the library since 1989. 46 employees: 70% with professional training 30% clerical and support staff

Membership & Services:

• The National Library of Laos plays an important role in preserving and collecting Lao materials and foreign materials about Lao.  The Lao Ancient Manuscript Preservation Project has been operating since 1989, documenting the locations and subject matter of thousands of ancient texts, written in ancient Lao and Sanskrit and housed in monasteries all over the country.
• There are currently nine reading and resource centres and 44 reading rooms throughout Laos, under the administration of the Ministry of Education. The National Library Director serves as a consultant for these centres.  The National Reading Promotion Project, operated by the National Library, provides literacy services to these libraries, which are visited annually.
• The Library Director would like to see expansion of library branches and services in Laos, including provision of Internet access to libraries.
• Staff training and development is another priority.
• Other information provided by the director:
• Open to the public daily from 0800 to 1130 and 1400-1630.
• Annual membership fee is 200 kip (approx 4 cents, Canadian)
• Approximately 6,000 members as of Sept. 1999, with an average of 800 new members/yr.
• Most materials may be borrowed from the library for a period of two weeks.
• Manual count is done of all visitors and of all items borrowed. In 1998, the library:
• Lent 10,440 items
• Had 22,224 visitors

• The library has an active Childrens' Services department; in 1998 150 storytelling sessions were hosted in the library on Saturdays and Sundays and in schools and community centres in the Vientiane area. The National Reading Promotion Project, delivered to communities all over Laos, is a very successful program coordinated by the Library Director and delivered by Childrens' Services staff.

• The National Library operates a popular bookmobile program four days of every week. All areas of Vientiane are visited on a two-week rotating basis by one of three bookmobiles. In 1998, 1870 visitors to bookmobiles borrowed 12,696 items.
• The National Library of Laos depends upon financial support from foreign countries to run the Ancient Manuscript Preservation Project, the National Reading Promotion Project and the bookmobile service. Countries who have assisted the library in these initiatives are Germany, Australia and Japan.

• Statistical data, provided by the director:
• Books:          approx.           300,000
• Serials:                                           120
• Manuscripts                             6,000 (palm leaf bundles)
• Microforms                                   450
• Maps                                                250
• Audio/visual items                    800

 
• In 1998, the collection budget for the National Library was the equivalent of US $100. Because so little money is available for collections, most of the books in the library are donations.
• At the time of my visit in Sept. 1999, the library had six computers used for administrative purposes in the main building, and additional computers in the building housing the Ancient Manuscript Preservation Project.