Circular No. 14/2023/TT-BGDĐT stipulates the standards for university libraries in Vietnam.

CIRCULAR
Regulations on the standards for university education institutions' libraries

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Pursuant to the Education Law dated June 14, 2019;

Pursuant to the Higher Education Law dated June 18, 2012; the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Higher Education Law dated November 19, 2018;

Pursuant to the Library Law on November 21, 2019;

Pursuant to Decree No. 93/2020/NĐ-CP dated August 18, 2020 of the Government detailing certain provisions of the Law on Libraries;

Pursuant to Decree No. 86/2022/NĐ-CP dated October 24, 2022 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

At the proposal of the Director of the Infrastructure Department;

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular toregulate the standards for university education institutions' libraries.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. This Circular stipulates the standards for university education institutions' libraries (hereinafter referred to as university libraries), including: Information resources; physical infrastructure; specialized equipment; library activities; library management.

2. This Circular applies to universities, university-level schools, academies (hereinafter collectively referred to as university education institutions); relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Article 2. Interpretation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. Information resources are materials in publication form or digital form, legally published and distributed through various languages suitable for the objectives and content of the training programs. Information resources are used by library users for teaching, learning, and scientific research, including: Textbooks, reference materials, internal materials.

2. Reference materials are materials used by library users during teaching, learning, and scientific research, including: Reference books, monographs, translated books, guidebooks, exercise books, and other published materials; articles, scientific works, and materials published domestically and internationally.

3. Internal materials are materials formed during the teaching, learning, scientific research, and production activities of university education institutions, including: Dissertations, theses, graduation projects, final-year projects, publications of university education institutions, and other materials.

4. Name of textbook, reference material refers to the title of a textbook or reference material. A book edition is the quantity of a textbook or reference material in publication form.

5. Library user refers to lecturers, students, and other entities with a need to use the library.

Article 3. Purpose of applying university library standards

1. Ensuring conditions for fully performing the functions and tasks of university libraries as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 14 of the Law on Libraries, meeting the requirements to ensure the quality of higher education.

2. Determining standards and usage quotas for construction project areas, machinery, and specialized equipment in the field of education and training for new construction or renovation and upgrading of existing university libraries.

Chapter II

UNIVERSITY LIBRARY STANDARDS

Article 4. Information Resources

1. Having sufficient information resources appropriate to each training discipline of the university education institution, including: Textbooks, reference materials, and internal materials.

2. Quantity of information resources

a) Number of textbook titles: Fully providing textbooks according to the requirements of the training program for lecturers and students for teaching, learning, and scientific research;

b) Number of book editions for each textbook title: At least 50 book editions/1,000 students;

c) Number of book editions for each reference material title: At least 20 book editions/1,000 students;

Digital information resources

- Textbooks and reference materials must comply with intellectual property regulations, digitized according to agreements between the university education institution and the authors. For digitized textbooks and reference materials, the number of book editions must meet at least 50% of the quota specified in points b and c of Clause 2 of this Article;

- All internal materials must be digitized 100%;

- Access rights to domestic and international databases on books and scientific journals suitable for the level and scale of training programs must be secured.

3. Requirements for information resources

a) Publication-form information resources must be processed, organized, preserved, and inventoried and filtered in accordance with library business procedures;

b) Digital information resources must be processed, organized, stored, preserved, and inventoried and filtered in accordance with library business procedures and technical standards for information technology.

Article 5. Physical Facilities

1. The university library shall be located in a convenient position to meet user requirements and ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities.

2. Area of the University Library

a) The total area of the university library shall be determined according to the standards and norms for the use of construction project areas in the field of education and training, including functional zones and auxiliary zones;

b) Functional zones include the following areas: Reading space (reading rooms and open spaces); information resource storage; search, borrowing, returning, and information counter; exhibition and introduction of information resources; lecture room; service; administrative and operational areas;

c) Auxiliary zones include the following areas: Lobby; corridors; staircases; restrooms and technical rooms.

3. Reading Space

a) The number of seats in reading rooms shall be calculated at a minimum of 5% of the total number of students and ensuring a standard of 2.4 m² per seat (excluding open spaces). The total area of reading rooms shall not be less than 200 m².²Depending on the field of training and the form of training of each higher education institution, the type, quantity of reading rooms, and the number of seats in each room shall be reasonably determined:².

- General reading room is a common reading room for library users to study and research;

- Specialized reading room is for library users to conduct in-depth study and research in specific fields;

- Group study room is for library users to exchange and discuss in groups;

- Multimedia room is equipped with specialized devices to exploit and use digital information resources with different formats such as electronic text, audio, images, animations, and videos.

b) Open space shall be organized flexibly within the campus of the university library and higher education institution; it shall be equipped with specialized devices to ensure convenience and flexibility in exploiting and using information resources.

4. Information Resource Storage

a) Information resources shall be organized and arranged separately or combined in reading rooms and open spaces to ensure appropriate management, preservation, and storage according to the characteristics of each type of information resource, including: Publication-type information resources stored in open and closed stacks; digital information resources stored on server systems and other types of data storage devices;

b) The area for storing publication-type information resources shall ensure a closed stack area of 2.5 m² per 1,000 books and an open stack area of 4.5 m² per 1,000 books;

c) The area for storing digital information resources shall ensure sufficient space to organize server systems and other types of data storage devices.²5. Search, Borrowing, Returning, and Information Counter²a) The search area shall be organized separately or combined in reading rooms;

b) The borrowing and returning area shall be located in a convenient position for borrowing and returning information resources;

c) The information counter shall be located in a visible and convenient position for library consultation activities.

6. Exhibition and Introduction of Information Resources Area shall be organized as separate rooms or combined in the lobby, corridors, and reading rooms of the university library.

7. Lecture Room shall be arranged as a separate room or combined with classrooms, lecture halls, or auditoriums of the higher education institution.

8. Depending on the conditions of each university library, the service area shall be organized to ensure convenience, safety, environmental hygiene, and compliance with library usage and management regulations stipulated in point d, Clause 1, Article 7 of this document, including:

a) Catering and entertainment service area;

b) Printing, copying, and photographing service area;

c) Other service areas.

9. Administrative and Operational Area shall ensure sufficient space for library staff to work and organize library operational activities.

10. Technical Requirements

a) The floor of the university library must comply with current construction standards, where the floor of reading rooms should use carpet or other flooring materials that are easy to clean, without gaps, and resistant to moisture and mold;

b) The entrance and window systems of the university library must comply with current construction standards; they must ensure natural lighting and ventilation requirements for rooms; they must be convenient, safe for use, and easy to clean;

c) The lighting system of the university library includes natural lighting, artificial lighting, and mixed lighting. The lighting system must comply with current lighting standards;

d) The ventilation system of the university library shall be organized with natural and mechanical ventilation to ensure clean air quality. The air conditioning system shall ensure suitable temperature and humidity conditions for each type of information resource;

đ) The fire prevention and firefighting system of the university library shall meet the requirements for fire safety of buildings and structures as prescribed.

c) The lighting system of the university library includes natural lighting, artificial lighting, and mixed lighting. The lighting system must comply with current lighting standards;

d) The ventilation system of the university library is organized with natural and artificial ventilation to ensure clean air environment. The air conditioning system ensures appropriate temperature and humidity conditions for each type of information resource;

đ) The fire prevention and firefighting system of the university library ensures fire safety requirements for the building and works as prescribed.

Article 6. Specialized Equipment

1. Equip specialized equipment to ensure library activities, including:

a) Shelves, bookcases, bookstands, tables, chairs for library users; tables, chairs, cabinets for library staff; information counters; equipment for searching, displaying, introducing new informational resources and publications from higher education institutions;

b) An internet-connected computer system, printers, photocopiers, scanners, servers, data storage devices, audiovisual equipment, security and automation devices for library operations and other library technology equipment;

c) Application software for professional and operational activities, library operation and management with full functions according to national and international standards;

d) A portal or electronic information page providing online catalog search and exploitation of digital informational resources;

đ) Other equipment serving library operations and management;

2. Requirements for specialized equipment

a) Clear, concise, complete, and easy-to-understand visual guides, charts, or diagrams on how to use the library, placed in easily observable locations;

b) Shelves, bookcases, bookstands, tables, and chairs must be suitable in size for the functional rooms of university libraries, organized reasonably and flexibly to ensure diversity and richness to serve library activities;

c) Equipment must ensure safety, environmental hygiene, and comply with legal regulations on information management and exploitation;

Article 7. Library Activities

1. User service activities, including:

a) Guiding library users on library rules, reading and understanding directional signs and symbols; searching, finding, and selecting informational resources;

b) Serving library users in learning and research at reading spaces; advising users on searching, finding, and selecting informational resources; providing borrowing and returning services for informational resources;

c) Displaying and introducing informational resources and library services;

d) Organizing food, entertainment services; printing, copying, photographing documents, and other services based on each university library's conditions;

đ) Other activities appropriate to user needs;

2. Professional library activities, including:

a) Building informational resources;

b) Processing informational resources and organizing information search systems;

c) Preserving informational resources;

d) Creating and providing library information products and services;

đ) Interlibrary cooperation;

e) Promoting reading culture;

g) Developing digital libraries;

h) Modernizing libraries;

i) Library communication;

k) International library cooperation;

l) Evaluating library activities;

3. Digital library development

a) The digital library must be compatible, connectable to digital informational resource databases and related systems; ensure the authenticity and integrity of digital informational resources; comply with national and international standards;

b) Digital library services include providing, sharing, and exploiting digital informational resources. Providing digital library services must comply with legal regulations on intellectual property, information technology, and cybersecurity;

c) The digital library can be accessed through the Internet or internal networks; ensuring the security and confidentiality of user database information and managing access rights for accounts; maintenance, upgrading, and timely repair when incidents occur;

4. Interlibrary Cooperation

a) Principles of interlibrary cooperation

- University libraries participating in interlibrary cooperation voluntarily connect, share, and contribute common informational resources; cooperate based on agreements between libraries, ensuring uniform procedures to enhance the efficiency of informational resource exploitation; comply with regulations on intellectual property, information technology, cybersecurity, and relevant laws;

- Participating university libraries must have: Compatible information technology infrastructure; digitized informational resources indexed and processed according to national and international standards; library management software with interlibrary cooperation features and the ability to expand API connections or standardized national and international connections; human resources to meet, operate, exploit, and share;

- Ensuring the management and use of shared informational resources for their intended purposes, effectively, in accordance with interlibrary regulations and charters;

b) Forms of interlibrary cooperation

Participating university libraries in interlibrary cooperation have forms of cooperation defined in the interlibrary charter and regulations, including:

- Publication-type informational resources: University libraries within the cooperative group regularly circulate informational resources;

- Digital informational resources: University libraries within the cooperative group share and provide access to digital informational resource databases;

- Other appropriate forms;

c) Mechanism of interlibrary cooperation

Interlibrary cooperation between university libraries is implemented through centralized or decentralized mechanisms and operational plans determined in the interlibrary charter and regulations;

d) Responsibilities of participating university libraries

- The leading university library has the responsibility to:

Organize the establishment of interlibrary charters and regulations, determining the methods of developing, sharing, and exploiting common informational resources; the degree of sharing and user access rights; using informational resources, products, and services;

Share and contribute informational resources to the common system;

Provide professional and operational support to university libraries within the cooperative group;

The leading university library is considered for priority in benefiting from investment development policies according to current regulations;

- Participating university libraries have the responsibility to:

Join in establishing interlibrary charters and regulations;

Share and contribute informational resources to the common system according to interlibrary regulations and charters.

Article 8. Library Management

1. Management of information resources, infrastructure, specialized equipment, and library activities

a) There shall be regulations stipulating the functions, tasks, authorities, organizational structure, and operations of university libraries issued by authorized decision-makers.

b) There shall be a library management file system in accordance with prescribed procedures and library business processes.

c) There shall be plans to organize library activities as specified in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 7 of this document.

d) Infrastructure and specialized equipment shall be inspected, maintained, repaired, and replaced in a timely manner; they shall be inventoried and evaluated annually to serve as a basis for asset liquidation, budget allocation for repairs, replacements, or additional investments.

đ) Library activities shall be disseminated to library users, organized according to plans, and evaluated annually for their effectiveness.

2. Operating funds

a) To ensure the quality of library operations; maintain and develop information resources, infrastructure, and specialized equipment.

b) Annually, based on the needs of university libraries and available resources, higher education institutions must allocate funds to ensure library activities. These funds are sourced from regular and investment expenditures of higher education institutions; library service revenues; grants, aid, donations, and contributions from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals in accordance with the law; and other legitimate sources of income.

c) The management and use of annual operating funds of university libraries shall comply with legal provisions.

Chapter III

IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS

Article 9. Transitional Provisions

For new construction or renovation projects of university libraries that have been approved for investment or granted permission to invest before this document takes effect, implementation shall continue according to the previously approved content.

Article 10. Effectiveness and Responsibility for Implementation

1. This Circular shall take effect from September 1, 2023.

2. The Director of the Office, Heads of the Department of Infrastructure, Heads of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training; Rectors of universities and academies; Deans of university colleges; Directors of university libraries; related agencies, organizations, and individuals are responsible for implementing this Circular./.