Article from Vientiane Times by Somsack Duangpanya Nov. 2002

Librarians from the Mobile Library Project say that primary school

children will soon be more enthusiastic readers than their older teenage

brothers and sisters, even their parents.

The project, run by the National Library in Vientiane, involves vans

packed with books traveling to primary schools in the countryside and

encouraging poor students to spend their time reading.

The project has met with such success that officials expect to have

motivated a brand new generation of readers set to bring Lao literature

back into the limelight after they have grown up in a few decades time.

"I am very proud of my reading. I can read Thai and Lao language story

books. I read the books for thirty minutes everyday and I enjoy them and

get lots of knowledge," said Ms Phon-aloun Luangkhot, a 10 year-old with

an irresistible smile.

Librarians point to many constraints in revitalizing Lao reading and

literature. Current libraries and their systems are lackluster and many

schools do not have libraries. It seems that a long period of war and

restrictions can do a lot to prevent people from reading and learning

from books.

Director of the National Library Kongdeuane Nettavong said that since

its inception the Mobile Library National Reading Promotion Project has

been a great boost to primary education. "In the first year of our

operations, children at primary schools could not read the Lao language.

But today they are able to ready beginning story books as well," she

said.

Over 100 libraries have been given to schools. "We do not set up

libraries for secondary and upper secondary schools yet. Seventy per

cent of our support is for libraries at primary schools," said Ms

Kongdeuane.

The National Library encourages children who live in remote areas and

don’t have an opportunity to read books at the library by providing its

mobile service to country areas five times per week.

"I am seven years old and I can read cartoon books and understand what

is going on in the story. I love to read," said Mr Sithphachanh, in his

first year at primary school.

Some new books are available for students to read in the mobile

libraries at their schools. Next year the project will have three

vehicles for its mobile library service.

The Library plans to send staff to foreign countries for training as

librarians and to construct a new library building for reader comfort to

accommodate 500 people. For this task the library is currently seeking

support from its traditional sponsors, the government of Japan.

Officials at the National Library say that support for libraries at

primary schools is only a first step to improving the reading culture.

Ms Kongdeuane said: "We agree with our readers when they say that most

of the books are old and that we do not have many technical books for

readers."

An official of the National Library in Vientiane said that most students

who come to read are from vocational schools. But students from

Secondary and Upper Secondary Schools rarely come to the library because

its open hours are the same as school hours.

There are about 500 new books at the National Library per year but the

library is unable to respond to reader demand due to funding problems.

They call for increasing Government assistance.

"If we had about US$ 20,000 we could buy many new books for our readers

and our library would become modern," stressed Ms Kongdeuane. Current

library staff have already graduated with masters degree in library

systems and management from foreign universities.

Somsack Duangpanya