National Museum Library Gets US Funding
The US Embassy pledged $45,000 earlier this month to help the National Museum preserve its book collection and to rebuild part of the l
Between the narrow spaces of the archives of the NationalMuseum, not far from the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, lie documents ofCambodia's heritage that are more than 100 years old. On a recent morning, a concerned Ly Ye, director of the National Museum's archive, looked over a woodencabinet full of books turning red with age. Even changes in the weather couldfurther damage the books. "It can be damaged by itself, because it is very old,and nature can destroy the paper," she said. Threatened with deterioration from age, documents like thesewill get preservation with help from the US, through an ambassador's fund.The US Embassy pledged $45,000 earlier this month to help the National Museumpreserve its book collection and to rebuild part of the library. Some of the books in the library document archeologicalresearch of Khmer artists, the history of ancient temples, and other textswritten by the French at least 120 years ago. Som Aol, a former student of the Royal Universityand an archeologist, said the documents can be a source of research forstudents. "It is very difficult, because these documents are in aforeign language, especially in French," he said. "I am not good atit, but now I have started to learn French bit by bit [but] I think it is veryuseful and easy for Khmer youths to do more research." US Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said during a signingceremony for the funds on Aug. 18 that even a small amount of money could makea significant contribution to the museum's library. NationalMuseum Director Hab Touchsaid the funds would be used to renovate the library with equipment needed torepair books, as well as undertake translations of some of the texts.