Hun Sen Library
Director: Mr. Sen Seng (B.A. History, RUPP)
Tel: 855-23-363-261
Email: phnompenhlib@bigpond.com.kh

The Royal University of Phnom Penh is developing a library system to
serve students and staff of the University. Since 1993, many of the
library resources have been donations from overseas sources. Each
library has a reference and a loan collection. Both the English and
French Self-Access Centers have audio-visual materials for use in
the library.

Opening Hours: The library is open from Monday to Friday, 7.30am - 5.00pm, Saturday 8.00am - 4.00pm (except public holidays).

Objectives: To provide a professional library service that will meet the research needs of the students and faculty members of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and to serve the broader community in accessing information.

Background: The Hun Sen Library was opened on January 7, 1997 by Prime Minister Hun Sen. Funding for the building was supplied by Samdech Hun Sen and the furniture and fittings were provided by donors from Europe and the United States using locally crafted timber.

The provision of the library facilities represented a major leap forward as prior to the opening of the Hun Sen Library a small classroom had been used with a stock of some 10,000 books, which were rarely used by the students. Today, more than 600 students use the library each day.

The new purpose built library has a floor area of 1800 square meters, seating for 200 people and a staff of 17 serving in various capacities within the library. Currently the library has two foreign advisors - one from Australia (technical services) and one from Japan (a computer expert).

Every academic year the library provides a library orientation program for first year students (Using Library Resources). First year students must take one hour of library instruction every week during the second semester to obtain credits for their degree.

The Hun Sen library has grown rapidly since its inception. It has become one of the biggest cultural research centers in Phnom Penh. Books have been donated by the Asia Foundation (USA), the Japan Foundation, Japan Relief for Cambodia, Book Aid International (UK), the French Cultural Center, the French-Cambodian Association, Cambodian government departments and ministries, as well as non-government organizations and individuals. Since academic year 2001/2 Hun Sen Library has received funding allocations from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) for the Priority Action Program (PAP) which have enabled the purchase of additional computers, furniture and selected books.

Resources: : The library currently has 39,000 books: 62% in English,
22% in Khmer, 15% in French, and the remainder in Japanese,
Vietnamese, Chinese and Thai. There is an extensive reference
collection and a comprehensive loans collection. The Cambodiana
collection is housed in the upstairs mezzanine floor where researchers
can access a wide range of publications by Cambodians and about
Cambodia.

The library has Internet and email access, which members can use for a small fee. There is also a photocopy service and an air-conditioned room with audio-visual facilities available on request for educational purposes.

Aleph 500 Library Automation Program
As a result of a generous donation by the Exlibis Company of Israel, the Hun Sen Library will soon be operational with an international standard Library Automation Program. The Hun Sen Library Aleph implementation team is currently working on the huge task of data entry, and over academic year 2003/4 all the Library systems particularly cataloging and circulation will progressively become automated. By the end of 2003/4 we hope to have the OPAC [Online Public Access Catalogue] up and running for the English and French collections. Final completion of the Khmer titles will follow as soon as Khmer Unicode becomes effective.

Membership: Membership of the library is not restricted to students and RUPP faculty members. Students of other universities, high schools, government institutions, NGOs and members of the public are welcome to join. People come from all around Phnom Penh to use the library each day. People who wish to obtain a library card need to supply two passport photographs, show an ID card, and pay a small fee in riel. Non-members of RUPP may be required to pay a refundable deposit.

Center for Population Studies (CPS)
The Center for Population Studies has a library with general material on population and demographic studies available for students, teachers and other researchers. It also runs short training courses and study tours on population and development and curriculum development for staff, as well as a course in demography for students in the departments of geography, history and sociology.
The center was established in mid 2001 by the Prakas of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport (MoEYS) as a research and training center specializing in the issues of demography, population and development. It was inherited by RUPP from the UNFPA following its three previous sequential projects on Demography and Population Education that began in 1995. It continues to have assistance from the UNFPA as well as the Australian National University.

IFL Self-Access Center
Self-study in the IFL Self-Access Center is an integral part of the study program for all students in the Department of English. Open to students of both the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Education courses, it is designed to meet individual learning needs and encourage learner autonomy. The IFL Self-Access Center contains approximately 3000 books as well as reading, listening and video kits for language and vocabulary development.

French Library
The French Library, located at IFL, is open to students majoring in French language. It houses a small reference and audiovisual collection for use in the library, as well as 2000 books available for loan.There is also an audiovisual room for French classes on the main campus, available to students of other disciplines who have elected to study French as a minor subject.

Campus II Library
The Campus II Library is open to students and staff in the sociology, philosophy and history departments. There is a small reference collection and 2500 books available for loan.
An additional faculty reference center with 2500 books and eight networked computers is located on Campus I. This center was a gift of the U.S. Government through the California State University, Long Beach.
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