American Library Danang

Congratulatory Remarks

Former US Consul General Emi Lynn Yamauchi

American Library Corner

DaNang University

February 26, 2004

President Xung,

Ladies and Gentlemen…

It is a great pleasure for me to be here today to open our American Library Corner at DaNang University. 

This opening is particularly important because it marks the first time that one of our new centers has opened in Vietnam.  This concept began in Russia in October 2000 as something they call ‘the American Corner.’ With the goal  of making information about the United States more readily accessible to Russian audiences, there are now American Corners in each of Russia’s 11 time zones, and there are Corners underway in countries such as Thailand, Burma and Cambodia.  These centers serve to bring American ideas and values to the far reaches of Central Asia, and bridge the distance between Washington DC and Siberia.  

One of my principal objectives as Consul General is to expand U.S. contacts with Vietnamese institutions outside of Ho Chi Minh City.  The American Corner plays a key role in this effort.   

This American Corner - what President Xung has urged we call an American Library Corner, and what a good idea - will offer the citizens of DaNang and surrounding areas open and permanent access to a wide range of information about the United States in the form of hardcopy reference materials, cd-rom databases, and direct access to American resources via the Internet.  Your American Library Corner will be able to count on the support of the Consulate General staff working at the Information Resource Center in Ho Chi Minh City. 

As part of the DaNang University library, this center is free and open to everyone - ordinary citizens, students, journalists, business people, government officials - who wish to learn more about America. We hope you will think of this as a small corner of America here in the great city of DaNang.  

This is the ideal institution to host an American Library Corner.  It shares our interest in reaching the broadest possible range of citizens.  We want to give these citizens access to information about the United States, not only for purposes of research but for purposes of action as well.  Businessmen can use this American Library Corner to locate prospective clients and suppliers.  Students can learn about opportunities for study in the United States.  Community leaders can find colleagues in the United States grappling with the same sorts of issues that they are dealing with here in DaNang.   

When completed, this collection will provide users with many resources on English teaching, American culture, political life and institutions in the United States, the history of the American people, and America's struggle to build a tolerant, diverse society that is open to all. 

But even more than this, the American Library Corner will also be a forum for the exchange of ideas as speakers from the United States occasionally use this space to share their knowledge and experiences with the people of DaNang. With books, videos, Internet, and electronic databases, we are confident all users will find resources to help them in their quest for knowledge about the United States.  

We will do our part to help the American Library Corner accomplish this active linking function.  We will support the Library with training, materials and advice  to  ensure that the facility stays relevant to your needs.  However, the success of your American Library Corner ultimately depends on you, the users.  Success in maintaining ties between your city and institutions, and individuals in my country depends upon your initiative. Ensuring that ties between DaNang and the United States are maintained and expanded is the work of all of us who are striving to build a strong partnership between Vietnam and the United States.  I can guarantee our support and I am confident that you will do the rest. 

President Xung, thank you very much for the generous support you have has shown by making this excellent space available for the American Library Corner environment in which to work and study. 

Ladies and gentlemen, this American Library Corner is yours to enjoy. I hope you will put it to good use for many years to come. 

Thank you very much.