Library digitization

- In recent times, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST) has proactively implemented a comprehensive set of solutions to address bottlenecks in technical infrastructure, unlock investment resources for shared digital library systems, contributing to building a learning society and creating an important impetus for the sustainable, substantive, and widespread development of reading culture in the digital age.

Officials from agencies and units throughout the province read books at the Provincial Library.

In 2025, in line with the policy of reorganizing commune-level administrative units, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism proactively directed the Provincial Library to review and guide the network of grassroots libraries to continue operating and improve professionalism. After the reorganization, most reading points were integrated into the system of grassroots cultural institutions, contributing to diversifying activities serving the people.

However, this process also presents some difficulties, which significantly affect operational efficiency. Ms. Nong Thi Thao, Deputy Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Van Lang commune, shared: "Currently, the workload is increasing while our library staff are mostly working on a part-time basis and have not had the opportunity to deeply access modern professional practices."

Besides human resources, technical infrastructure is also a "bottleneck" in the digital transformation process. Currently, the Provincial Library still has to maintain its operations on LIB 6.0 software, an outdated platform that is no longer compatible with modern connection standards.

To overcome immediate difficulties and maintain effective operations, the Provincial Library has intensified its book circulation activities to local communities. In 2025, the unit opened 6 new circulation points, bringing the total to 75 points throughout the province. Particularly, given the unique mountainous terrain, more than 40 mobile library vehicles have been deployed, delivering books continuously to border areas and remote regions.

In the context of comprehensive digital transformation, modernizing digital libraries is a strategic step to narrow the information access gap between regions, ensuring that all citizens, especially the younger generation and people in border areas, can benefit from modern knowledge. Recognizing this as a crucial task, the Department has advised on the implementation of a province-wide shared digital library software by 2026. Currently, the Department is urging the Provincial Library to coordinate with relevant units to ensure the project is completed on schedule. The ultimate goal is to build a modern digital data repository that helps spread a reading culture throughout the community.

On December 31, 2025, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued Decision No. 951 approving the plan to lease information technology services to build a shared digital platform with a total estimated budget of over 6.3 billion VND. Ms. Dang Thuy Lan, Director of the Provincial Library, said: “The deployment of the shared digital platform aims to comprehensively modernize management, strongly transforming from a traditional model to a smart library. The new system aims to standardize and digitize all operational processes, from receiving and cataloging to storing and accessing materials according to current standards. All reader management, circulation, borrowing, and returning are automated and data synchronized in an electronic environment. This is a fundamental solution to replace the old, outdated infrastructure, creating favorable conditions for people to access knowledge in a substantive and modern way.”

The project focuses on building a shared digital resource library with diverse formats such as e-books, newspapers, magazines, and especially local historical documents and valuable local materials. This platform allows people to access, search, and read documents online anytime, anywhere through popular smart devices such as computers, tablets, and mobile phones. This expands the target audience, bringing knowledge across geographical barriers to people in remote, mountainous, and border areas.

To achieve the 2026 target of serving over 97,000 readers and reaching 70,500 visits to the electronic library, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has identified digitalization as a key solution. Investing in technical infrastructure and training digital skills for staff is not only a task but also a necessary condition for building a " Lang Son of Learning" in the future.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/phat-trien-van-hoa-doc-trong-ky-nguyen-so-5084476.html