Information of The International Exchange and Cooperation of NLC with other Countries

  
I. International Dunhuang Project between British Library (BL) and National Library of China (NLC)
The International Dunhuang Project (IDP) was founded in 1993 at the BL initially to develop a relational database suitable for manuscript cataloging and institutional and scholarly use. Dunhuang Collection of NLC includes more than 10,000 items. BL also has a large collection of Dunhuang and other Central Asian manuscripts. The two libraries could explore the cooperation in this field. On Mar. 7th, 2001 BL and NLC signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation concerning the International Dunhuang Project.
Overall Objectives of the cooperation:
1. For al the manuscripts from Dunhuang in the collections of the BL and the NLC to be catalogued on the database and a large number to be digitized by 2006.
2. For this information to be freely available both to readers at the NLC and the BL and also to scholars and others worldwide via the IDP Interactive Web Database with an English language site based at the BL and a Chinese language site based at the NLC
The cooperation started since 2001 May. The project progressed smoothly. Until Nov. 2001, when the web site was launched, recorded data includes 10,000 items of texts, 1,500 titles of classified catalog, 418 items of scholars' archives, over 560 shots of images of Dunhuang manuscripts and around 8,000 items of research index of Dunhuang collection of the NLC.

II. Cooperation with NIPPAN
In 2002 it came to the 20th anniversary of set-up of the Reading Room of Japanese Publications under the agreement between Nippos Shuppan Hanbai INC (NIPPAN) and National Library of China (NLC). For 20 years, NIPPAN ships 8,000-10,000 volumes of new published Japanese books to NLC annually as gifts, which extremely enrich the collection of NLC and are greeted by readers. Up to now, NLC totally has received 255,000-volume donation from NIPPAN, accounting for nearly 14,004,801,646RMB. In addition since 1992 NIPPAN has been financially supporting two staff members of NLC to study for three months in Japan. Until now there are totally 16 members sent to Japan for study. In 2002 Oct. Mr. Yang Bingyan, Deputy Director of NLC signed the fifth term agreement with Mr. Tetsuo Suga, President of NIPPAN in Japan. Based on the agreement, both parties will further develop their cooperation.

III. Cooperation with NLB
According to the related provisions of Memorandum of Cooperation between National Library Board of Singapore (NLB) and National Library of China (NLC) signed in 2000, both parties plans to hold the exhibition on the history of ancient Chinese books from 2003 June to July which has been approved by the Cultural Ministry. The exhibition is helpful to promote the exchange and cooperation between two libraries and is also a good chance to display the Chinese culture and advocate NLC at international stage.

IV. The Cooperation with NSL
Invited by the National Széchényi Library of Hungary (NSL), the National Library of China (NLC) intends to co-hold the exhibition on Ancient Chinese Rare Books with Block Printing and other Treasures from the Collection of the National Library of China from 2003 Oct. 1st to Dec. 31st in Hungary, Budapest.

V. The cooperation of Chinese Resources Construction and Sharing
During the cooperation of Chinese Resources Construction and Sharing with national and international institutions in the next few years, the National Library of China (NLC) will finish two projects of Chinese Ancient Block Printing Catalog and Chinese Rubbings Database as the host.

International Conferences in past years and future by the National Library of China

I. International Symposium on the study of Dunhuang Manuscripts, Sept., 2003, Beijing
In order for promoting the research and exchange on Dunhuang Manuscript, its restoration and digital technology, the National Library of China is planning to hold the International Symposium on the study of Dunhuang Manuscripts, restoration of Dunhuang Documents and Digital technology & the 100th Anniversary of Mr. Wang Zhongmin on 2003 Sep. 16th-18th in Beijing. By the time NLC will invite over 40 experts both at home and abroad to attend the symposium.

II. The Forth Conference of Chinese Resources Construction and Sharing, Nov. 2003, Nanjing
The National Library of China will assist Nanjing Library to hold the forth Conference of Chinese Resources Construction and Sharing in Nov. 2003.

III、IFLA RSCAO, Mar. 2002,Beijing
On 2002 Mar. 6th-9th the National Library of China held the working meeting of IFLA RSCAO. There were 18 members to attend the meeting. IFLA RSCAO has two meetings annually to promote the communication and cooperation between libraries in Asia and Ocean, review the work of the Committee, and set up the regional working plan and promote the development of librarianship in Asia and Ocean.

IV. International Symposium on Chinese Rare Book Preservation and Restoration, Oct. 2001,Beijing
On 2001 Oct. 16th -20th the National Library of China held the International Symposium on Chinese Rare Book Preservation and Restoration in Beijing. There were over 60 experts of 30 libraries from seven countries to attend the symposium. The purpose of the symposium is to promote libraries of all the countries and regions to improve their condition of Chinese rare book preservation and restoration, develop the multilateral cooperation and protect the human cultural heritages. The topics of the symposium are involved in Chinese rare book restoration, preservation and storing condition in libraries of all the countries, trends for the technology of Chinese rare book restoration and preservation, and regional multilateral cooperation and communication.

V. International Symposium on the 600th Anniversary of Yongle Dadian , April, 2002 , Beijing.
In order to commemorate the publishing of Yongle Dadian as well as review and exchange its use and research, the National Library of China invited nearly 70 famous experts and scholars of over 40 libraries and institutions at home and abroad to attend the International Symposium on the 600th Anniversary of Yongle Dadian on 2002 April 17th-19th in Beijing. During the symposium the NLC Publishing House held the ceremony of the first publishing of photocopy of Yongle Dadian. On the symposium Mr. Ren Jiyu, Director of NLC, appealed to those volume-holding institutions for supporting to republish the existing copies of Yongle Dadian undertaken by the NLC Publishing House so as to present the value of Yongle Dadian. NLC is still actively looking forward to the communication and cooperation from volume-holding institutions at home and abroad.