Samsung’s Smart Library Initiative Promotes Collaborative Learning in Vietnam
For centuries, libraries have been regarded
as founts of knowledge and history – repositories in which to preserve vital
wisdom to pass down from generation to generation. Each, regardless of its
nature – from the Vatican’s Secret Archives to the massive Library of Congress
– was built to ensure that humankind’s progress would not be lost to the sands
of time.
In this digital age, however, it’s easy for
physical books and libraries to become afterthoughts. The ubiquity of e-books,
PDFs and word documents – instantly downloadable via the internet – have
diminished our need for them. Libraries must therefore find ways to adapt to
changes brought about by our modern conveniences. If they don’t, they’ll no
longer serve as storehouses for our knowledge and histories. Rather, they’ll
become history themselves.
Samsung recognizes this need for
modernization. In an age where a wealth of information on seemingly any topic
can be obtained with a quick search of the worldwide web, libraries should be
more than just places for people to leisurely read a novel or do some academic
research.
Although there’s nothing wrong with silently
studying by oneself at a local library, studying with a group can ultimately
prove more productive, allowing one’s ideas to be constructively critiqued and
their progress to be appraised. While an innovative thought or groundbreaking
idea may certainly hatch in the mind of one person, honing such an idea with
others’ informed input can go a long way toward improving and realizing it.
Since their respective launches, S.hub Ho Chi
Minh and S.hub Hanoi have quickly become hubs for students, professionals and
speakers to share their ideas and experiences.
Samsung’s S.hub initiative was born of this
philosophy. For it, Samsung teamed up with the Ho Chi Minh City General Science
Library and the National Library of Vietnam in Hanoi, whose outdated buildings
and equipment have hindered public attendance, to renovate the libraries’
facilities and outfit them with the latest tools and equipment.
S.hub Ho Chi Minh (left) and S.hub Hanoi,
after their respective S.hub
Ho Chi Minh (left) and S.hub Hanoi, after their respective
The
goal of the initiative is not only to update the facilities with modern tech
like touchscreen monitors and personal tablets, but to also create spaces that
can serve as scholarly hubs where people, especially students, may gather and
nurture one another’s academic inclinations.
The
first S.hub, installed in the Ho Chi Minh City General Science Library, opened
its doors in October of last year. S.hub Hanoi, meanwhile, which established a
collaborative space for students and young professionals to gather in the
Vietnamese capital, launched just a few weeks ago, on November 24.
These
successful launches in Vietnam’s largest and most dynamic cities not only mark
the triumph of the initiative, but also establish an effective blueprint to
install additional S.hubs in cities across Vietnam – and perhaps other
countries as well.
Activities
during S.hub Ho Chi Minh’s one-year anniversary celebration included bookmark
making, as well as a book auction, sale and exchange
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior
Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
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