Books: The Singaporean ambassador to Bhutan, Lim Thuan Kuan donated six boxes of books to the National Library and Archives of Bhutan and the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck Public Library in Thimphu yesterday.

National Library and Archive director general, Dorji Norbu, said that the donated books would have a long-lasting impact and that the public will benefit.

Dorji Norbu said that the national library has been more focused on collection of books. Recently, a team from the National Library and Archives went to Bangkok to explore the city’s library system and the kind of archives maintained there. “We are a little weak on service delivery,” he said.

Dorji Norbu pointed out that the national library doesn’t have a good membership system in place and as a result many borrowed books are not returned to the library.

The management is working on having a proper system in place to ensure that borrowed books are returned.

“We want to make the library a research and learning centre,” Dorji Norbu said.

The library is also working on creating a special Oral History Tradition and Audio Visual Unit to survey, create and maintain oral history and audio-visual documentation for the country.

Dorji Norbu said that when the management is working on serving the people, the future generations are also kept in mind.

Ambassador Lim Thuan Kuan said that Bhutan and Singapore have similarities in terms of what both countries face when collecting and preserving important past, present and future documents for future generations.

“We are losing some of the past histories as older folks are passing away,” the ambassador said.

Our older parents don’t write books so we ask questions to our older folks and transcribe the answers and experiences they have faced, he said. This is one of the similarities in both the countries when archiving its history, the ambassador added.

“The donated books will give your people some information about what Singapore is about,” the ambassador said.

The National Library of Bhutan was established in 1967 to preserve and promote Bhutan’s rich cultural and religious heritage.

Dechen Tshomo

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