Three Vietnamese were among more than 200 delegates from over 10 countries at the second International Summit of The Book in Singapore on August 16.

The summit is initiated by the Library of Congress (the US ) to celebrate the enduring influence of the culture of the book and the importance of libraries and books in preserving national cultural identities and the human civilisation.

The Library of Congress plans for the Summit to travel to a different cultural capital each year, somewhat in the manner of the Olympics.

Hosted by the National Library Board Singapore (NLB), this year’s summit, themed “A Book By Any Other Name”, discussed the future of the book.

In three panels, leaders of great libraries, eminent authors, thought leaders and publishers of both the old and new media from different countries focused their discussions on the book’s rapid revolution in the age of digital publishing, its impact on literacy, the culture of reading, and its relevance in the transmission of culture and history.

Delegates also took the opportunity to explore these issues from an Asian perspective. Other topics of the discussions were the future of the book and libraries.

The third summit will be held next year in France.-VNA