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ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 55 | February 2002


Senior Chinese Librarian Enthusiastic on Cooperation

Wan Wong, Mr Chen Li,  Ching Sun and Weidong Chen

Mr Chen Li, Deputy Director, National Library of China, has recently visited the National Library of Australia. He has a doctorate in Chinese history and was previously Librarian at Sichuan University in southwestern China, before taking up his current appointment.

Mr Chen is keen to develop further the cooperation between the two national libraries, which has flourished over many years. Exchanges of publications began more than half a century ago. A number of National Library of China staff have undertaken training or work placements in Canberra since the late 1970s. The most recent have gained experience of the automated National Chinese, Japanese and Korean (CJK) Service in Asian Collections. There have also been a number of other visits between the two institutions. Like the National Library of Australia, the National Library of China is now placing particular emphasis on major digitisation programs. Its extensive Digital Library project for Chinese publications is described at www.nlc.gov.cn.

The National Library of China has lent a number of rare and beautiful items for the Treasures From the World's Great Libraries exhibition. These range from the earliest known form of Chinese writing on bone, dating back over 3000 years, to a lavishly illustrated nineteenth-century album of Beijing Opera characters. Mr Chen attended the launch of the exhibition.
—Andrew Gosling

Above left: Mr Chen Li, Deputy Director, National Library of China (second from left) with National Library of Australia Chinese Unit staff (left to right) Wan Wong, Ching Sun and Weidong Chen.

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