To celebrate “World Book and Copyright Day” on April 23rd, on April 20th the DTU library held a talk on “Reading Culture and Its Development” by Professor Tran Ngoc Them, Director of the Centre for Theoretical and Applied Culture at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities and Vietnam National University in HCMC. The talk accentuated the practical importance of creating an environment to develop a reading culture at DTU, to convince lecturers and students to understand the reasons for reading books in their teaching, studies and research.
Professor Tran Ngoc Them and Dr. Le Nguyen Bao at the Talk
Reading Uplifts the Soul
Reading helps people to relax, learn and improve their reasoning skills. However, in this technological era, people, especially the young, are increasingly neglecting books. Professor Them gave a thorough review of the purpose and role of reading and discussed the current situation in Vietnam. He pointed out ways choosing high-quality books, methods of reading science books and how to most effectively apply the knowledge and skills acquired by reading books in our day-to-day lives.
Commenting on the importance of reading, he said, “The purpose of a Reading Culture is that people live better, higher-quality lives, have their souls uplifted and their lives perfected. These days young people prefer listening and watching. However, if you know how to link listening and watching with reading, you will be able to overcome daily problems more easily. I highly appreciate the investment that DTU has made in the development of their library and also their efforts to establish a comprehensive reading culture at the university.”
Professor Them analyzed the good qualities of Vietnamese culture, its optimism, love of life and gratitude but also stressed some of the less endearing characteristics that are emerging. DTU lecturers and students shared their thoughts on issues related to reading culture, the Vietnamese value system, ways of preserving our traditions and avoiding some of the bad influences of global integration.
The DTU library, a rich store of literature
Recognizing the importance of books since its inception, DTU has focused on investing in the development of their library system. Meeting the requirements of student and lecturer studies and research, the DTU library was awarded a certificate of merit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, for being one of the fifteen leading facilities from 2011 to 2015. DTU was the only private university to receive a certificate at the National University and College Library Conference and Workshop.
To encourage students to dedicate more time to reading, Dr. Le Nguyen Bao, DTU Vice-Provost, stressed that, “Books are a precious resource, bringing us endless knowledge. This is why training ourselves to read habitually and efficiently is the key to opening new horizons with bright futures. In the coming years, DTU will invest more in its library system, pushing for the construction of a DTU Bookcase and publishing specialized textbooks to support lecturers and students in their studies and research. This will contribute to the development of a reading culture at DTU and create a healthy and relaxing environment.”
(Media Center)