HSU Library Expands Academic Partnerships Through Agreements with Five Universities

Expanding access to knowledge and creating more opportunities for academic exchange, the Library of Hoa Sen University (HSU) has signed interlibrary cooperation agreements with five universities for the 2026–2027 academic year: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (USSH, VNU-HCM); Foreign Trade University, Ho Chi Minh City Campus; Mien Dong Innovative Technology University (MIT); Vinh Long University of Technology and Engineering (VLUTE); and Dong Nai University (DNU).

Through these partnerships, HSU students, lecturers, and researchers can benefit from a broader, interconnected knowledge network that brings together learning resources across multiple disciplines.

Strengthening HSU Library’s Network of Academic Partnerships

In a changing higher education landscape shaped by reform and digital transformation, university libraries are taking on a broader role. No longer limited to providing learning materials, they help connect learners with knowledge, researchers with academic resources, and institutions with opportunities for collaboration. Through interlibrary cooperation and resource sharing, universities can draw on one another’s strengths, encourage interdisciplinary exchange, and strengthen the foundations for teaching and scientific research. Together, they become active connectors within the academic community, linking learners, researchers, institutions, and resources in an open knowledge ecosystem built on sharing and collaboration.

Five new academic partnerships of HSU Library:

• University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University Ho Chi Minh City (USSH, VNU-HCM);
• Foreign Trade University, Ho Chi Minh City Campus;
• Mien Dong Innovative Technology University (MIT);
• Vinh Long University of Technology and Engineering (VLUTE); and,
• Dong Nai University (DNU).

These partnerships create valuable opportunities for HSU students and faculty members to broaden their academic experiences and benefit from a wider range of learning and research resources.

Through interlibrary cooperation, HSU can expand access to information resources while drawing on the academic and educational strengths of each partner institution. This helps the Library better address the diverse information needs of students, lecturers, and researchers.

Through resource-sharing arrangements, HSU Library users can explore a wider range of information resources, consult valuable databases, and access specialized academic materials across various fields, including Social Sciences and Humanities, Economics, Foreign Trade, Engineering and Technology, Food Technology, Tourism and Culinary Arts, Chemical Technology, Biology and Environmental Studies, Language and Culture, Technical Education, and Health Sciences. These shared resources support more effective learning, teaching, and research across the HSU community.

Interlibrary Collaboration for a Connected Knowledge Network

The agreements establish a collaborative framework for resource sharing and mutual support among participating libraries. By connecting their collections and services, each institution can complement the resources of the others and provide users with more flexible access to information.

Guided by a user-centered approach, this cooperation also seeks to enhance service quality and strengthen support for students, lecturers, and researchers:

• Greater Access Through Interlibrary Services: Overcome geographical and physical barriers while saving time and reducing the costs associated with accessing learning resources;
• A Broader and More Diverse Range of Information Resources: Explore interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary materials, develop multidimensional thinking, and gain a more comprehensive and balanced understanding of different subjects; and,
• Knowledge Exchange and Enhanced Information Literacy: Benefit from a rich collection of resources across disciplines and sectors. Exploring, evaluating, and applying these resources helps users strengthen their information literacy and make more effective use of academic information.

Quality Enhancement in Education and Research

The agreement will also have a significant impact on the overall quality of education and scientific research.

• For Teaching: Access to a wider range of textbooks and reference materials helps lecturers bring new perspectives into their teaching, refresh course content, and develop approaches that better respond to learners’ needs;
• For Learners: Greater access to diverse learning and research resources encourages students to look beyond familiar perspectives, deepen their understanding, think critically, and develop creative solutions. These capabilities can help them stay competitive in an increasingly integrated labor market;
• For the Research Community: Stronger connections among university libraries help create a more collaborative academic environment. Therefore, opportunities to participate in conferences, workshops, academic events, and knowledge-sharing activities enable researchers to exchange expertise, strengthen research capabilities, and increase the quality and reach of their work. Additionally, they also encourage interaction among lecturers, researchers, students, and library staff, paving the way for new academic initiatives.

The interlibrary collaboration between the HSU Library and its partner universities marks an important step toward building a connected and sustainable academic community. It reflects HSU’s long-term commitment to fostering knowledge sharing and strengthening academic partnerships. By bringing together each university’s strengths in specialized education and information resources through their library networks, the collaboration creates practical value for individual users while contributing to the broader development of Vietnamese higher education in the knowledge era.

Translated: Tai Do