(20 Feb 2025) A total of 256 municipalities have neither a public library nor a bookstore, the Yomiuri Shimbun has learnt. This amounts to 15 per cent of the 1,718 municipalities nationwide. “If having few chances to enjoy books becomes normal, print culture itself will fade away,” an expert said about the decrease in places…
(14 Feb 2025) Several higher education projects and hundreds of students face uncertainty following the suspension of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding as part of US President Donald Trump’s executive order last month, which put a 90-day freeze on all development aid activities worldwide. USAID-funded higher education projects in South Asia…
(6 Feb 2025) Trove’s newspaper collection continues to grow every day. Trove Partners collaborate with Trove to digitise their collections and make them available online to all Australians. We spoke with 2 of our Trove Partners about their experience working with Trove to digitize some of their local newspapers. The partners are Merri-bek Libraries…
(20 Jan 2025) From the National Library of Australia: We are introducing a new strategic vision to guide how the National Library of Australia will make it possible for all Australians to connect with their rich national heritage. While physically located in Canberra, the Library exists to serve everybody, and we are more focused than…
(5 Feb 2025) Libraries in Taiwan are now offering tens of thousands of books that have been banned in Hong Kong due to the government’s ongoing crackdown on politically sensitive content, according to a report by Radio Free Asia (RFA). Hong Kong’s bookstores were once famous for their wide range of books, including controversial and politically radical works. According…
(5 Feb 2025) On the last day of 2024, Vietnam’s prime minister approved a new Education Strategy for 2030, with a vision for 2045 through Decision No 1075/QD-TTg. In higher education, the strategy sets several targets for 2030 in terms of accessibility, quality, research and internationalisation. In summary, these targets include: • Accessibility: At least…
(24 Jan 2025) In the basement of United Square mall in Novena, the fictional character Sun Wukong from the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey To The West was asked what his nicknames were. He immediately chimed back, listing several nicknames, including Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Handsome Monkey King. This was not from a…
(3 Jan 2025) Restoration work on the nearly 1,000-year-old southern library of the Angkor Wat in Cambodia’s Angkor Archaeological Park has been completed successfully, the APSARA National Authority said in a news release on Friday. Angkor Wat is a major temple in the UNESCO-listed Angkor Archaeological Park in the country’s northwest Siem Reap province. …
(31 Jan 2025) The Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) joined the growing number of national patent offices across the world on 24 January 2025 to have exclusive access to India’s digital repository of its traditional medical systems, with the conclusion of the requisite agreement between the two countries this month. Established in 2001…
(27 Jan 2025) The Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) and CHORUS have joined forces to support Japan’s move toward a national open access policy, which is set to take effect in April 2025. At the recent Japan Library Fair on November 20, 2024, the organizations hosted the CHORUS/JST Forum, titled “Many Paths to Open Access,” bringing together six expert…