Over the weekend, we visited the Da Nang University Learning Resource Center (LRC) and the Information Resource Center (IRC). The LRC was built under the supervision of RMIT International University Vietnam and East Meets West with funds donated by Atlantic Philanthropies, and is located on the College of Engineering campus approximately 9 kilometers west of the city center, where the IRC, built through an earlier, non-RMIT project, is located.
The staff of the Da Nang IRC and LRC were wonderfully hospitable, and showed us around Da Nang and nearby Hoi An. In the IRC was a fascinating display of photographs and cultural objects from Vietnam minorities. Also in the IRC was a collection of theses written by Da Nang University students. Both cultural history and the theses collection have been discussed as possible candidates for digital collections.
In the IRC is the first American Corner established in Vietnam by the US Consulate. As the Consulate web site says, ?Sponsored by the United States Consulate General and Da Nang University, American Library Corner is a joint partnership project that promotes cooperation and understanding between the United States and Vietnam by providing open, accurate, and factual information about the United States in a variety of formats to the Vietnamese people.? This program began in October 2000 in Russia, and over 150 American Corner have been opened since, in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America.
The Da Nang LRC follows the same design as the LRC in Hue, with wide open spaces, curved computer tables, and many computers. The students are on break, otherwise, the LRC would have been very busy. The LRC suffered a minor set-back in October 2006 when a typhoon tore off the roof, but the roof has since been replaced and all is again ship-shape.
On the way to Hoi An, we stopped at Marble Mountain, where there were numerous marble carvings and statues. To my surprise, I coveted the large lions and unicorns, perhaps thinking of the New York Public Library, but, upon reflection, decided that the shipping costs were prohibitive. A picture of one of the lions is below. If anyone would like one, send me an email in the next month, with the maximum weight desired. Pairs are better than one.