The shipment arrived from the AAPG at AIT last month, and the 128
titles cover 1200 linear feet of shelving. Coordinating the acceptance
was the Coordinator, AIT Library, Ms. Pranee Kiriyanant and Dr.
Pham Huy Giao, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Geoexploration
and Petroleum Geoengineering (GEPG) program, Geotechnical and Earth
Resources Engineering (GTE) Field of Study, at AIT’s School of
Engineering and Technology (SET).
Appreciating the donation, AIT’s President Prof. Worsak
Kanok-Nukulchai has thanked the AAPG for their gesture. The AIT Library
is the heart and soul of the Institute, and we are grateful to the
AAPG, Prof. Worsak remarked.
“We are extremely thankful to the Publication Pipeline of AAPG which
agreed to our request for a donation,” says Dr. Giao. The process of
soliciting books for the library began in 2012, since AIT was trying to
replenish its collections which was lost during the flood. An alumna of
our program, Dr. Peangta Satarugsa, who is an Associate Professor of
Khon Kaen University, put us in touch with AAPG, Dr. Giao narrated. She
also donated her personal books, and we are grateful to her.
Getting the donation was not an easy task, since they were shipped
from the US. Gary Weir from AAPG helped implement this donation.
Interim Dean of School of Engineering and Technology (SET), Prof.
Voratas Kachitvichyanukul said that the School would bear the expenses
of storage and local transport.The late Mr. Surapol, who worked at the
Government Relations Unit (GRU) of AIT’s External Relations and
Communication Office (ERCO), coordinated from the Klong Toey port and
customs clearance, Dr Giao says. Above all, the support of Chairman of
Publication Pipeline Committee of AAPG, Dr. Jon Blickwede and the
Vice-Chairman, Dr. Martin Cassidy made it possible, Dr. Giao
adds.
The AIT Library was inundated during the 2011 flood and the entire
ground floor was under water for nearly six weeks causing major damage
to the Library collection. The campaign for rebuilding the AIT Library
has received attention from donors and alumni. In January 2014, the AIT
Alumni Association (Myanmar chapter) donated USD 3900 towards
rebuilding the library. Prior to that the Nepal Education
Foundation-Consortium of Colleges (NEF-CCN) donated 300,000 Baht for
the Library rebuilding.
The AIT Library has been receiving book donations from various
sources. In March 2011, the academic collection of late Prof. W.J.Yang,
former Professor Emeritus at the University of Michigan, was handed
over to AIT by his widow, Mrs. Wen-Jei Yang. The Prof. Yang collection
now has 736 books and 12 journal titles in the AIT library.
