(Published in the Summer 2005 issue of the CPJ Newsletter)
Susan Besemer, director emeritus of SUNY Fredonia’s Reed Library and Fulbright Senior Specialist, knew that the purpose of her 2004 Fulbright grant at the Royal Academy of Cambodia would be to teach library management. She did not know that she would become the creator of a program to build a needed reference collection for this university located in the capital city of Phnom Penh.

During her six week assignment, Susan worked closely with library colleagues at the Royal Academy and made recommendations regarding collection development, the use of electronic resources, and other aspects of library science. She also saw the profound needs in Cambodia. One of the poorest nations in the world, the average income is $280 per year. In the latter part of the 20th century, Cambodia suffered tremendous hardships. The death and destruction of the Vietnam War linger to this day. Although demining efforts are underway, landmines are still common. In 1975, Cambodia endured one of the most horrific episodes in human history. The Khmer Rouge regime, under the leadership of Pol Pot, took over the government and proceeded to exterminate almost two million Cambodians. Especially targeted were educated, professional, and religious citizens, as well as centers of learning. For example, approximately 75% of the National Library’s staff was assassinated and most of its books were destroyed, as were the holdings of the National Archives. After several years, with the death of Pol Pot and the help of the United Nations, the government is now a democratic constitutional monarchy striving to foster education of the population.

At the Royal Academy, Susan saw that the students needed a useful reference collection, which financial resources were unable to provide. She began to think of how she could help. She created the Naga Project for Libraries. (Nagas are benevolent creatures in Buddhist mythology. One is on the logo of the Royal Academy.) Recent, superceded editions of relevant reference books in good condition are donated from libraries and publishers, and funds for shipping are collected. (It costs $1.00 to ship a book.) Friends of Reed Library help sort, evaluate, and catalog the books, which are then sent to the Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia warehouse in San Francisco. There they are packed and shipped to Phnom Penh. Through this coordinated effort, 394 books with a cumulative value of over $13,000 have been collected and shipped. Sue’s goal is for 1,000 books to reach the library of the Royal Academy.

Susan’s goal is also to increase awareness of the needs of developing countries. Those needs include information and education. To quote Susan, “If knowledge is power, the positive influence of libraries can create much good in our world.”

Susan has agreed to speak at a meeting of the Center for Peace and Justice in the fall. Please look for future announcements about the date and location.

For additional information about the Naga Project, see www.ideafusion.biz/NagaProject.
You may also be interested in Room to Read (www.roomtoread.org), an organization that builds libraries and schools for young students in developing countries. The SUNY Fredonia community has contributed to this project. Its founder, John Wood, was the Maytum Convocation speaker in April 2005.

For more information about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia see:
www.yale.edu/cgp
www.dithpran.org/killingfields.htm