Delegates visit book and newspaper display booths at the Bắc Giang Provincial Library.

BẮC GIANG — With 60 years of development, Bắc Giang Provincial Library stands as a repository of precious documents from the Kinh Bắc region, encompassing a diverse range of genres and invaluable resources.

Initially known as Hà Bắc Provincial Library, the institution was founded on April 10, 1964, and currently operates under the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. The Bắc Giang Provincial Library houses numerous exclusive documents, offering readers and researchers a deep insight into the region's rich historical traditions.

Nguyễn Đắc Hồng, the director of Bắc Giang Provincial Library, shared that the library's humble beginnings as a small book warehouse have now expanded to encompass five separate book warehouses. These warehouses collectively hold a staggering collection of 200,384 books, including 167,374 precious books and nearly 6,000 newspapers and magazines. Notably, the library also preserves over 4,000 geographical and local documents, serving as a valuable repository that chronicles the historical development of the land and people of the Kinh Bắc area (a former name for a large region in northern Việt Nam, which includes Bắc Giang Province).

The library's archives contain a wide array of materials, including local publications, photocopied documents related to Bắc Giang, CDs, documentary photos, monument records, French documents, and maps. Among these treasures are significant documents such as the map of Bắc Giang Province during the Hồng Đức period (1470-1497), documents about the Yên Thế Uprising in Vietnamese, French, and manuscripts, as well as customs and conventions of villages in Bắc Giang Province during the French colonial period.

Trần Thúy Hoàn, a long-time reader and cultural researcher in the Kinh Bắc region, praised Bắc Giang Library for its comprehensive and systematic collection, which makes it convenient for research purposes.

In today's digital era, Bắc Giang Provincial Library pays special attention to attracting readers, even amid competition from modern products and social networking platforms. On average, the library issues 2,000 reader cards annually, serves over 40,000 readers and facilitates the circulation of more than 100,000 books and newspapers. Additionally, the library organises numerous book exhibitions and introductions, and participates in events such as the Spring Newspaper Festival and the Reading Culture Ambassador Contest. These initiatives, along with hundreds of exhibitions, book introductions, and newspapers on important provincial and national events, holidays, and anniversaries, aim to engage and attract a broad range of readers. The library's rooms provide a reader-friendly environment, and the book store is neatly and scientifically arranged. The selection of books caters to the needs of readers of all age groups, further enhancing the library's appeal.

During a visit and working session with the Bắc Giang Provincial Library, Kiều Thúy Nga, Director of the National Library of Việt Nam, commended the library as one of the exemplary units within the Northern Mountainous Library Union. The library has achieved numerous accomplishments in its endeavors, particularly in promoting the development of reading culture within the community. Its efforts have successfully ignited a passion for books, cultivated reading habits, and created a strong impact in the community.

To better serve and attract readers while improving storage capabilities, Bắc Giang Provincial Library has devised plans to acquire and supplement its collection with over 6,000 books of various genres and 120 types of newspapers and magazines annually. Since 2011, the library has digitised 10,000 pages of documents each year. The coordination with schools in the province has been proactive, actively responding to and organising the Reading Culture Ambassador Contest through diverse and engaging formats.

After six decades of establishment and development, the dedicated individuals working at Bắc Giang Library are determined in their efforts to transform the institution into the largest library and information center in the northern mountainous region. VNS