Ulaanbaatar, December 18, 2023 /MONTSAME/. The closing Ceremony of the project "Library Without Borders" took place on December 13, 2023. The project was launched by the Australian Embassy in collaboration with the National Library of Mongolia and the Mongolian Library Association in September 2022 to support the development of local libraries.

Financial aid from the Australian Embassy helped to enrich public libraries in 21 aimags with new books, organize capacity-building training for librarians, and use technological advances to expand cooperation. A team of library specialists worked locally and organized capacity-building training based on need analysis. Also, under the project, the best of Mongolian and popular classics of world literature books as well as books of scientific, educational, and cognitive content were a good supplement to the children's book fund.

Since its establishment in Mongolia, the Australian Embassy in Mongolia has continuously invested in the library, education and information sector and has successfully implemented projects to bring best library practices to Mongolia through the initiative of Australia Awards Scholarship alumni. For example, in 2018-2019, the "Beyond Books" project was implemented to introduce community library practice in the capital's remote districts, and in 2019-2020 "Australian Corner" room opened in the Children's Central Library.

At the closing of the project, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Australia to Mongolia, Katie Smith, said: "I am glad that I took part in this important event for Australia and successfully implemented the project in the libraries of 21 aimags of Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar. The project covered 17 aimags. I had the opportunity to visit the local library in person. It was also very moving to meet the librarians and see how they work to spread book culture among the local population. Our project team has trained more than 800 librarians. We are grateful for the opportunity to introduce Mongolian libraries to the best practices of Australian public libraries. I believe that as a result of your efforts, residents will benefit from more accessible and improved library services."

"Our project has been going on for a year and a half. As a result, remote districts of Ulaanbaatar and local children have books to read in their libraries. This is the tangible result. Thanks to donations we were able to collect age-appropriate books for children. Secondly, the National Library of Mongolia is committed to providing the methodology to all public libraries, but we faced challenges in reaching public libraries in 21 aimags to share experiences and organize training. However, we were able to organize training as part of the project. Thirdly, we are one step closer to our goal - developing an online platform to introduce and standardize a program reflecting the main trends in library development in all local libraries. I believe all our goals have been achieved to a certain extent. We are confident that we will continue this work in the future. We plan other activities to be implemented in the next project. The Library is open to everyone, but it is not one of the top priorities in the state budget. In this context, the online platform has a dual purpose to attract public attention to the library issue. The project aimed to teach our librarians the best ways to stay up-to-date on the latest library trends," said B. Ichinkhorloo, Director of the National Central Library, a co-implementer of the project.

M. Davasuren, Executive Director of the Mongolian Library Association, stated: "I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to the implementation of the project. In particular, I would like to express special gratitude to the staff of the National News Agency MONTSAME and Mongolian National Public Radio and Television of Mongolia and the gogo.mn site for their support and timely updating the public about project proceedings."