Hangzhou conferences highlight global library cooperation

The first conference of the Silk Road International Library Alliance was hosted in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, on Thursday.

Over 30 library directors and scholars from 27 countries related to the Belt and Road Initiative attended the conference, which was co-organized by the National Library of China and Zhejiang Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism, through livestreaming platforms.

The theme of the conference is "Creating a New Future for the Community of Common: Destiny for Libraries of the Belt and Road Countries". Delegates from the Zhejiang, Fujian, and Shaanxi provincial libraries and national-level libraries from Indonesia, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Singapore delivered speeches on strengthening cross-border cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative. Long-term programs concerning digitization and training of librarians were announced during the conference to promote the exchange of expertise and resources.

The Silk Road International Library Alliance, which was initiated by the National Library of China, now has 38 members in Asia, Europe, Africa and Oceania.

On Wednesday in Hangzhou, the 4th China-Arab Library and Information Science Professionals Conference was held. About 40 delegates from 11 Arabic countries and 13 Chinese institutions joined the meeting through livestreaming.

A main issue of discussion at the conference was how to promote cross-border communication among libraries in the context of containment of COVID-19.