24 libraries of the world so magnificent they’ll take your breath away
....
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| Went
to National Library, and was again on the verge of tears... Completely
useless, as empty as the last 2 times I went in 1995 and in 2008. |
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| The
parking lot of this National Library is however full -- a
"commercialized" parking space for the Ministry of Finance and French
school and National University of Management nearby... Starting price of
1,000 riels per car |
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| The
most measly Reference section--there are more dictionaries in other
languages than in Khmer. I have more and a better selection of Khmer
dictionaries than the National Library. |
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| The bottom shelf is full of reference books dated in the 1970s in English JANE's Weapon System etc. |
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| The nicely bound, untouched volumes on the shelves are Buddhist verses in Khmer, printed/funded by the Japanese Buddhist Association, 1994 -- these books and a pile of paperback children's books were the only Khmer publication I saw in the National Library of 3 aisles and the empty reading space in the front. |
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| Many copies of the The Economist Today, a local publication in the English language. |
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| The other end perspective of public reading space... The computer section is in the back against the wall, 3 old unused computers. |
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| Same perspective of public reading space |
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| Sorry, CORRECTION: 4 unused old computers. |
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| 80% of the materials (if not higher) are not in the Khmer language... And of these foreign-language materials, I have no clue what they are--for sure not Shakespeare or Socrates! Of the Khmer materials I saw, children's books and Buddhist texts translated and funded by Japanese Buddhist Association, dated 1994. |
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| The public section of the National Library comprised of these 3 aisles of foreign, out-dated, irrelevant publications -- used books thrown away anywhere else in the world, and a measly reference section of no more than 5 dictionaries in the Khmer language. All foreign language books, mainly in English, whose titles and authors I've never heard of. |
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| That's dust on the shelves of these non-Khmer books, not glare of photo. |
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| All foreign books, no Khmer language publication, on these dusty shelves...\ |
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| US Congressional Administrative Laws from what era I forgot to check! |
More
non-Khmer, irrelevant publication in disarray collecting dust in this
National Library with total 3 aisles of outdated books |
| That's dust and not shine from photo |
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| Books that anywhere else people throw away collecting dust at National Library |
Seen and heard on Ms. Theary C. Seng's Facebook accounts:
www.facebook.com/theary.c.seng
www.facebook.com/theary.c.seng
8 August 2013
HUN SEN is a high school dropout; he speaks vagabond, gangsters like Khmer language on and off the camera, but smoothly and fluently Vietnamese at all times. Need we say more?
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