HUFI LIBRARY OVERVIEW 

LIBRARY - INFORMATION CENTER

Website: www.thuvien.hufi.edu.vn

Address: Le Trong Tan Street, Tay Thanh Ward, Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

Tel: (028) 38 161 673 – 137

        Email: thuvien@hufi.edu.vn

1.    THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF HUFI LIBRARY

HUFI Library, which was established in 1999, was renamed and upgraded through the following stages:

Originally, HUFI Library was formed from the Library Working Group under the Training Department on August 1^st, 1999. The Library was responsible for organizing, exploiting, storing and providing information and documents in the fields of science, food technology, economics, society, humanity, etc. in order to support the training and scientific research of Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI).

After that, the Library Center was established under Decision No. 357/QD-TCNTP of the Rector of HUFI, then officially became an independent unit under the University on May 15^th, 2010. The Library Center has been in charge of supplementing and developing information resources; organizing, exploiting, storing and providing information to meet the needs of scientific research, teaching and learning of officials, lecturers and students; expanding the links with other Libraries and Information centers at home and abroad; applying new technologies to library information works; printing student cards; providing internet service; and publishing textbooks and learning materials.

Then, the Library Center was renamed to the Library and Information Center under Decision No. 3734/QD-DCT of HUFI's Rector on December 29^th, 2017. The main functions of the Information - Library Center includes:

-  Buiding a development project and making long-term, short-term activity plans for the Library;

-  Developing information resources at home and abroad in accordance with the University's training and scientific research tasks through the supplement and collection of books, newspapers, magazines, specialized materials, electronic documents, reports, theses, scientific research projects, publications published by HUFI,... and other donated or exchanged publications among libraries;

-  Developing syllabus, reference materials,... databases to support the University's teaching, learning, training and scientific research works;

-  Handling, arranging, storing, preserving, inventorying, filtering and managing documents and library information resources;

-  Building a search system and setting up an access network to search information automatically;

-  Supporting and guiding the University's officials, lecturers and students to exploit, search and  use the Library's information resources, services and products effectively;

-  Cooperating and exchanging with other Libraries and information centers at home and abroad to share information resources, professional experience,...;

-  Researching and applying new technologies to the library information works;

-  Making plans to improve professional qualifications, foreign languages and informatics for the librarians;

-  Comprehensively managing the Library's facilities, equipment and human resources assigned by the University. Proposing to reward, discipline, care about material and spiritual life for the librarians.

Currently, the Library's information resources and information services have effectively supported the levels of undergraduate, graduate, college and short-term training in the various fields of: Food technology, Quality assurance & Food safety, Food quality testing, Seafood processing technology, Biotechnology, Environmental engineering technology, Natural resource & Environmental management, Environment - resources & Climate change, Chemical technology, Material technology, Information technology, Information security, Electrical engineering technology, Electronics, Mechatronics engineering technology, Control & Automation technology,  Industrial electronics, Cold equipment installation, Mechanical engineering technology, Restaurant management & Catering service, Accounting, Business administration, Finance - Banking, Tourism & Travel service management, Food & Nutrition Sciences, Food processing science, Sewing technology, English language,…

2.     THE RENOVATION PERIOD OF HUFI LIBRARY

For the last 20 years, along with the strong development of Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry (HUFI), the Library and Information Center has become one of the modern libraries in the university library system in Ho Chi Minh City.

Located at the main campus with a total usable area of over 1,700m2, HUFI Library consists of 4 floors designed according to the Learning Commons model, which is comfortable and friendly, meets the learning environment and professional research for many officials, lecturers and students. In fact, HUFI Library can serve about 700 users at the same time in its following functional areas:

§   Common learning space includes 01 presentation room, 01 research reading room (for officials, lecturers), 04 rooms for group discussions, workshop area, creative communication space,... with full of information technology equipment and learning support services to create a dynamic space as well as encourage the students to study, discuss, exchange and cooperate.

§   Information services space has some information booths, display areas for new documents, computer study areas, quick access areas, multi-function printers, automated book return machines, etc. which help readers can easy to access library resources and guide them to exploit and use information effectively.

§   Learning exchange space includes various meeting points, reading areas, exhibition hall,... where the users can access to many high quality and reliable knowledge resources, participate in lots of sharing, learning and creating activities in order to help young people learn, exchange and inspire ideas to develop their works and themselves.

§   Special services and products space is the exhibition area of science products of the University,...

Through applying RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) management solution through the use of synchronous management software, HUFI Library can provide: Automated book return machines; Library security gateway; Multi-function printers; RFID chips for documents, etc. These not only effectively support the process of controlling library's activities, but also improve self-service and create privacy and initiative of the users in performing some procedures for borrowing / returning documents or books without requiring the intervention of the librarians.

The interior of HUFI Library is designed subtly and harmoniously with the main bright colors to create an inspiring and creative learning space for the users.

Indeed, the information resources at HUFI Library are increasingly rich and diverse. In addition to the materials data repository including the specialized textbooks, main and extended reference materials arranged in a scientific category that facilitates the users accessing to documents easily, HUFI Library also has an encrypted online storage archived from many publishers as well as a number of digital data storage of other affiliated universities; online domestic and international databases, CD-ROM, e-books, etc. to help the users actively choose the reading methods, borrow materials, study directly, or work in groups anytime and anywhere.

  Besides, to maximize the accessibility and exploitation of Library's resources for the users, HUFI Library also provides in-depth services, such as: providing and finding required information; inter-library loans through the librarians who have the knowledge and skills to provide suitable suggestions to the users' requirements.

With a suitable design for many different needs from reading, studying, teamwork, cultural experience; diverse information resources, modern equipment and infrastructure, good service quality, open-oriented and user friendly space,..., together with HUFI, the Library is committed to constantly creating and promoting activities to support learning and research in order to become a place where knowledge, learning and research are inspired. This contributes to meeting the requirements of innovation, as well as implementing the objectives and development strategies of Ho Chi Minh City University of Food Industry in the new stage./.