DIRECTIVE

On promotion of INNOVATION OF LIBRARY'S operation IN DEVELOPING skills in reading, accessing and processing information FOR CHILDREN

Over the past years, the system of libraries, especially public libraries and school libraries, has a significant development in terms of quantity and quality, directly builds a favorably and friendly reading environment, develops reading culture among the people; focuses on innovation in organization and operation, develops multiple suitable models, well performs a role of arousing passions of reading and forming habits thereof, builds and develop skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children, contributes to the comprehensive development in terms of morals, intelligence, strength and taste. Library laws continuously provide for the important role and tasks of libraries in building and developing the reading culture in general, skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children in particular.

However, the organization of implementation and results achieved remain limited and do not meet requirements: The reading environment for children in many areas is still lacking, not really suitable and convenient in accessing information; the number of children who regularly read books is not high and sustainable, reading promotion activities in many places are still superficial; the form of reading habit and the development of skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children are not really focused on; there are disparities in conditions of accessing information and utilities, services and products of information between urban and rural areas, mountainous areas, border areas, islands, ethnic minority areas, disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged areas.

Main reasons including inappropriate attention and investment from authorities at all levels, especially the allocation of adequate land, human resources, information resources and other necessary conditions for libraries to effectively serve the children; the development of means of communication, electronic equipment and social networks affecting strongly the reading habit and  the access to information of children; the innovation of library's operations having not yet conformed to the development rate of science and technology and the practical requirements in general; the asynchronous and irregular cooperation of the school libraries with other types of libraries.

In order to resolve the weaknesses above, form reading habit and develop reading culture, especially develop skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children, contribute to promote the development of a learning society and lifelong learning; the Prime Minister hereby requests that:

1. Ministry Of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall

a) Continuously focus on organizing the effective implementation of the Law on Library and its guiding documents; take charge or cooperate in the implementation of documents related to promotion of reading culture, development of a learning society and lifelong learning, especially for children.

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c) Compile a framework of instructional materials suitable for children's demands; organize training courses to improve the quality of human resources meeting requirements of modern libraries and children’s demands.

d) Set up models of reading promotion with friendly reading spaces for children; develop and multiply models of family bookcases, family bookcases, school bookcases, and the model of “Gia đình đọc sách - Gắn kết yêu thương”.

dd) Commend studious examples; multiply good models, ways or initiatives in innovation of library operations in the building and development of reading culture for children, especially in association with the library-related digital transformation.

e) Take charge and cooperate with Ministry of Domestic Affairs and Ministry of Finance in developing and proposing suitable policies on encouraging and attracting librarians serving children, especially in mountainous areas, border areas, islands, ethnic minority areas, disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged areas.

2. Ministry of Education and Training

a) Continue to direct the improvement and consolidation of the library system in general education institutions and other educational institutions under its management towards modernity, friendliness, and maximum convenience for children; arrange enough qualified librarians according to regulations.

b) Improve policies and standards on libraries in educational institutions under its management and the educational program framework including extra-curricular hours at public libraries; promote the building of school culture, develop reading culture in schools in association with building of a lifelong learning society, centering on improving the spirit of self-reading, self-study, developing skills in reading, accessing, looking up and processing information for children, and integrating it into official curricula suitable for each grade level.

c) Direct, guide and promote the association of linguistic competence education with basic competencies such as reading and writing ability; guide the construction and development of open learning resources for schools.

3. Ministry of Information and Communications

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b) Propose and direct the implementation of measures to control and screen information and materials with contents that are not suitable for children, especially on digital technology platforms; direct telecommunications businesses to increase propaganda and deploy technical solutions to prevent bad and harmful information in cyberspace that causes negative effects on children.

4. Ministries, central authorities and related agencies, within their assigned functions, tasks and competence, shall organize the effective and responsible implementation of the contents in Section 6 of this Directive; centering on improving the operational efficiency the libraries under their management; promote communication, cooperation, association to focus on developing reading culture, skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children; study the formation of a children's library or a division of a children’s library.

5. Vietnam Television, Vietnam News Agency, Voice of Vietnam, central and local press and media agencies, publishers continue to build, innovate and popularize the media programs and products on developing reading culture, book-related columns, equipping children with knowledge, skills in reading, accessing, exploiting and using information.

6. The People’s Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities

a) Promulgate programs, plans and directions to continue to promote the implementation of policies on the development of reading culture, focusing on the development of skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children.

b) Consolidate, strengthen and promote the operational functions and efficiency of the library system to the maximum, especially the building of friendly and qualified libraries and reading culture environment, development of information resources suitable for children, diversification of information products and library services, increase in the participation of children in activities and events of reading and experience promotion with books; promote library’s mobile information services to children in mountainous areas, border areas, islands, ethnic minority areas, disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged areas.

c) Ensure budget, land funds and necessary conditions for development of qualified libraries in their areas according to regulations, focusing on the system of public libraries and school libraries; increase investment in and support for public libraries that play an important role in concentrating on serving and developing skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children; step up the socialization for development of libraries and reading culture for children in their areas while encouraging and promoting the role of community libraries and private libraries with community service participating in serving children.

d) Promote the dissemination, especially on digital technology platforms, promote advantages of social networks in order to raise awareness and transform the thinking of authorities at all levels and the whole society about the position and role of reading culture, especially the form of reading habits, development of skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children.

dd) Strengthen the organization of connections between libraries, educational institutions and relevant agencies to mobilize the participation of schools and families in forming and maintaining reading habits, improving skills in reading, accessing and processing information for children; direct the construction and development of models, connection of libraries, reading spaces, intra-organizational reading rooms in areas suitable for children.

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g) Promote digital transformation, library interconnection, building of e-libraries, digital libraries, digital databases, use of modern technologies for supporting the reading and exploitation of information from children in libraries.

h) Improve the quality of library human resources to meet the requirements of modern libraries for children and their specific characteristics.

i) Promote the international cooperation in the field of libraries and development of reading culture, especially for activities of serving children (focusing on developed countries in this field and activities such as Singapore, Japan, UK, USA, Israel, etc.).

7. Requests:

a) The Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations shall promote propaganda, actively participate in the implementation of policies and organize activities to build a reading environment and develop reading capacity for children; direct member organizations to assist in the management and operation of libraries, reading spaces, intra-organizational reading rooms for children.

b) Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union shall direct its subordinate youth unions to provide instructions on skills in accessing libraries, digital libraries and knowledge sources on digital platforms for children and put them into practice, especially children in mountainous areas, bordering areas, islands, ethnic minority areas, disadvantaged and extremely disadvantaged areas; intensify investment in and building of reading spaces and models for development of thematic reading culture in the system of the delegations, associations, teams and in the institutions of the system of Children's Palaces, Children's House and Youth Activity Centers; proactively cooperate with relevant ministries and central authorities in developing the dissemination of raising awareness of the position and role of reading culture for children.

8. Encourage businesses, organizations and individuals to invest in developing libraries and reading culture for children, contributing to promoting reading habits, improving reading skills and building a learning society.

9. Organization of implementation:

a) Ministers, Heads of ministerial agencies, Heads of government-attached agencies, Presidents of the People's Committees of provinces and central-affiliated cities, concerned agencies, organizations and individuals must thoroughly implement and formulate plans for strict implementation of this Directive.

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PP. PRIME MINISTER
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER




Vu Duc Dam