James Kon
The High Commission of Canada in Brunei Darussalam launched the Le Coin Canadien (The Canadian Corner) alongside a donation of books in a ceremony at the Universiti Teknologi Brunei (UTB) Library yesterday.
Canadian High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Jeanette Adele Stovel presented 41 books to UTB Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah binti Haji Sulaiman.
She expressed her gratitude to the High Commission of Canada for the books comprising a diverse genre of Canadian classics, history, poetry, biography, literature, fiction and culture that will be kept at the Le Coin Canadien, for UTB staff and undergraduates to learn about the history and culture of Canada.
Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah said, “These books are valuable additions.
“I believe the Canadian Corner can contribute in developing our students into global citizens who appreciate cultures, viewpoints and are sensitive to issues affecting the global community,” she said.
She shared that the UTB Library has a collection of over 33,000 volumes of books and a total of 1000 units of media collection, adding that “we invested significantly in acquiring two online databases: Scopus and Science Direct. Science Direct gives our staff and students access to 4,127 journals and 29,106 books as well as enables them to stay up-to-date on the latest high-quality research publications from all over the world.
“Even with the availability of wifi and online resources, the library remains an important part of student life on campus and attracts over 30,000 visitors each year,” said Professor Dr Hajah Zohrah.
UTB principal officers and staff as well as officers from the High Commission of Canada were also present at the event.
The book donation is hoped to offer additional value to the library’s growing foreign mission collection while fostering the love for reading within the UTB community.