Honorary Georgian Consul Thelmo Cunanan Jr witnessed the final signing of the memorandum of understanding and friendship between the National Parliamentary Library of Georgia and the De La Salle University Libraries.

Consul Cunanan brought the MOU to Georgia where it was signed by NPL Director Giorgi Kekelidze. The MOU had earlier been signed by by Br. Raymundo Suplido FSC, De La Salle University President representing the partner Philippine library and by Consul Cunanan, as a witness.

The sister-library project is an initiative of Consul Cunanan, working closely with Mr Kekelidze. This is the FIRST such relationship between Georgia and the Philippines and Georgia and Asia. The two libraries committed to developing professional relations and the establishment of a “Sister-Library” relationship based on friendship and mutual benefit and cooperate in the fields of automation of library bibliography processes, electronic exchange and delivery of documents, scientific bibliography, restoration and conservation of rare books and human resources development.

“This milestone partnership will strengthen cooperation in the following areas: automation of library bibliography processes; reciprocal use of electronic libraries and electronic catalogue; exchange of electronic information; scientific research in the fields of book and book publishing; technologies of safeguarding, restoration and conservation of rare books; and developing international book exchanges in order to improve archives of the libraries; organization of book exhibitions; exchange of experiences between the specialists of all fields of library work; and to organize training courses, workshops, scientific conferences, seminars,” said Consul Cunanan.

The National Parliamentary Library of Georgia, a government organization under the Parliament of Georgia, is the main book depository of the country, while the Learning Commons, as the DLSU Libraries are known, is a private sector institution and the finest of its kind in the Philippines.