Hello everyone,

The Asia Oceania Regional Office is pleased to present you the April 2020 issue of the e-newsletter.

The IFLA President and Secretary General has announced that Libraries around the world are affected by the emergence and spread of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Faced with this situation, libraries around the world have mobilised and provided valuable collections on their movement and other activities along with the citizens they serve. WLIC 2020 is cancelled and we will see each other only in 2021.

In the spotlight, we send our congratulations to Vicki McDonald on her receipt of the Membership of the Order of Australia, as part of Australia Day Honours. We also celebrate with Thailand’s Rangsit University Library for winning the 5th IFLA Green Library Award 2020 and the runner ups i.e. China’s Hangzhou Public Library and Sri Lanka’s Battaramulla, National Environmental Information Centre from our region. We also feature articles on how libraries in China, Indonesia and Singapore are coping with the current situation.

On what’s trending in our region, we feature a few interesting stories on how libraries have contributed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The other shows how the Qatar National Library’s China and Southeast Asia manuscripts collection advances historical research on Islamic traditions. With around 700 volumes, mostly Qur’anic manuscripts, the collection is one of the largest of its kind in the region.

Please take care of yourselves in these difficult times.

Soh Lin Li
Manager, IFLA Regional Office For Asia and Oceania