THE CHALLENGE AND PROMISE OF
COMPUTER NETWORKS IN THE LIBRARIES OF VIETNAM
Michael Huff
American Library Association Fellow
Can Tho University, Central Library
Can Tho, Viet Nam
E-mail: libhanoi@usia.gov
With full Internet access gradually becoming available
throughout Vietnam, Vietnamese libraries are beginning to design and to
implement computer networks, the purpose of which is to enhance the ability
to deliver information to library users. The Can Tho University Library
(CTUL) system, in Can Tho, Vietnam, is in the process of planning and installing
a Wide Area Network (WAN) that will later be connected to the Internet.
The challenges faced by CTUL are the same that must be addressed by all
Vietnamese libraries: selection and installation of a library automation
system; adoption of a bibliographic record format; connection to the telecommunication
infrastructure; cooperation of branch libraries; and education of library
staff. The experiences of CTUL on a local level underscore two issues that
must be addressed on the national level: forming an association of Vietnamese
librarians (to promote cooperation and education) and creating a standardized
national bibliographic record format (to enhance information access and
document delivery). Internet e-mail for all Vietnamese libraries could
be used as a valuable tool to encourage dialogue on these important issues
and to allow for basic sharing of information resources until more sophisticated
networks are widely adopted.