‘Window to China’ launched

Text and pix by Harsha Udayakantha Peiris

The Ministry of Education in coordination with the National Library and Documentation Services Board launched a dedicated China Corner at the National Library and Documentation Services Board in Colombo on 16 December 2010.

The special unit is established under the theme ‘Window to China’ as the local component of the international programme that distributes reliable information on China worldwide. The programme also marks the first step of establishing direct cooperation between the National Library of China and Sri Lanka.

The Chief Guest of the occasion Han Tao, the Political Counsellor of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Sri Lanka, addressing the audience stated that the China Library has taken steps to establish a number of China Corners around the world as an international programme to display the books and other reading materials on history, culture, climate, geography, lifestyles and modern life of the people of China, in English, for the international readership.

“More than 700 books on China have been displayed at the China Corner at the National Library and Documentation Services Board in Colombo for the local readership and it will be increased in the future,” he said.

‘Mahajana Cheenaya’ (People’s China), the Sinhalese magazine of 34 pages that is issued once in every two month interval by the Sri Lanka-China Journalists Forum (SLCJF), was recognised at the occasion as the major catalyst that initiated and directed to open a China Corner at the National Library and Documentation Services Board in Colombo.

Sri Lanka-China Journalists’ Forum is a collaboration of dedicated print and electronic media personnel who serve towards the worthy course of promoting and developing bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and China for more than a decade since its inception in 2000.

Parallel to the inauguration of ‘Window to China’ programme, an on-line catalogue that links the programme through www.natlib.lk was also declared open by Tao.

Expressing views at the event, H.M. Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Education stated that among the five targets of making Sri Lanka the air hub, naval hub, energy hub, commercial hub and the knowledge hub of the Asian region was aimed to achieve under ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ programme and that the Ministry of Education was playing a prominent role to improve the reading skills and reading habit of the masses in order to make Sri Lanka the knowledge hub of Asia.

He said that during the next three years, state-of-the-art and well-equipped libraries will be established in more than 1,000 schools in the island while the regional, rural and city libraries will also be developed with modern facilities aiming an enhanced readership. He also mentioned that the programme has been initiated upon the financial support of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

A. S. Hewage, Director General of the National Library and Documentation Services Board speaking at the occasion said that the National Library established 40 years ago with a Government Act has performed an immense service to the country during its course to cater to the public of this country in the spheres of library and library documentation services.

The National Library and Documentation Services Board that has been a treasure to the nation is offering an island wide service to students of school and higher education as well as researches of various disciplines through its invaluable service of not only information derived from printed materials and other data but also through its innumerable facilities of counselling and lecturing on related matters. It is also the umbrella to 10,000 other libraries throughout the country.

The Ministry of Education has unfailingly stood by each venture of the National Library and Documentation Services Board whilst a free of charge internet café was also declared open by the Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena recently to mark the ‘National Reading Month’ of 2010.