Galen Press
GALEN PRESS, LTD.
P.O Box 64400, Tucson, AZ85728-440
Tel. (520)-577-8363 / Fax (520)-8363
Toll-free: 1-800-442-5369
May 13, 1996.
GALEN PRESS ASSISTS VIETNAM LIBRARIES
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The ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science, First Vietnamese
Edition, c1996 Galen Press, Ltd., ISBN 1-883620-15-5.
Information technology is rapidly changing the face of library sciences.
But in some countries, this technology's expense limits its use. In
Vietnam, for example, even reference books that would allow librarians to
keep up with their field are often cost prohibitive, since the nation's
average annual per capita income is only $200. Instructional and research
materials in library and information science and the associated computer
technology are almost non-existent. Expatriate librarians, all born in
Vietnam, founded the Vietnam Library education Project of the School of
Library and Information Science at the Catholic University of America to
assist their Vietnamese counterparts. During the Project members'
library-needs-assessment visit in 1991, they found that a Vietnamese
translation of the ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science (c1983
American Library Association) would allow Vietnamese librarians to
acquaint themselves with appropriate library science terminology. This
will pave the way for some of them to visit the United States and other
countries to study library and information science. Project member
willingly embarked on what was a three-year job of preparing the complex
translation.
After obtaining permission for the translation from the American Library
Association (which waived the usual fee and royalty payment agreement),
volunteer Project members from the United States, Canada, France, and
Japan worked together to translate the Glossary, with specialists then
reviewing the translated definitions for accuracy. Several non-profit
organizations and benefactors landed their interim expenses, such as for
special computer programs. But as the translating reached its final
stage, a new concern arose, how would they pay to print and distribute
the book?
Nobody appreciates reference librarians better than authors. That's why
when University of Arizona reference librarian Nga T. Nguyen, a Project
member, asked for publishing advice from noted author and publisher Dr.
Kenneth V. Iserson (Death to Dust: What Happens to Dead Bodies?; Getting
Into A Residency: A Guide for Medical Students, 4th ed.; and Ethics in
Emergency Medicine, 2nd ed.) He eagerly lent a hand. Dr. Iserson arranged
for Galen Press, Ltd. of Tucson, Arizona, to publish the book gratis, as
a service to the medical and library professions. Although a new (began
in 1993) medical publishing company, Galen Press strives to produce
non-clinical texts the community needs. It also regularly supports the
medical libraries. This book met the requirements. (It helped that Data
Reproductions, Corp., Auburn Hills, MI, agreed to print the book at
cost.)
In June, Project member will hand-carry 500 copies of this 320 page, 81/2
" x 11" book to Vietnam for distribution. Galen Press will distribute
additional copies in the United States and internationally (for mailing
costs only) upon request of librarians with Vietnamese book or media
collections. Although the Glossary will need to be updated continually,
Project members hope that this first and necessary step will become a
valuable document, helping to prepare Vietnam's library and information
specialists for the twenty-first century. |
