1 PREFACE 1. Rationale of the Thesis: Today, information has a profound impact of human activities. Information is increasingly proving to be a special resource and one of the key resources in the development of each country, being the management tool for production and social management. Information directly involves in the productive forces and is the pioneering significant factor for the success or failure of each organi- zation as well as individual. After all, every relationship, every human activity is based on some form of information ex- change. Information studies and promotion of positive effect of information have gradually been paid attention to in a deeper level. Information, documentation and library is an important part in the cultural, educational, sci- entific systems Their level of knowledge transfer reflects the more or less progress of a society or a nation in terms of educational, scientific and cultural aspects. Moreover, it also reflects the level of human development. The factual history of cultural development shows that the formation of library as a compo- nent of cultural institutions of each community, society and nation is important and indispensable because personal information and documentation is usually not enough for in-depth studies, so the researchers and those in need of information have to gather more information and documentation in libraries and other information resources and databases. The library is primarily a place to keep and disseminate such information and documentation. Therefore, information and documentation in li- brary become a knowledge repository for individuals to self-study, enhance knowledge and improve professional skills most efficiently and sustainably. In a broader term, information, documentation and library will provide knowledge for hu- man development in ideal quality and library is also a place to gather information and documentation of various kinds for human community for information and knowledge exchange of each nation and humanity, which grants "cultural capital" for the socio-economic development of each nation. In the context of modern scientific and technological development, information, documenta- tion and library activities have been increasingly popular, professional and greatly significant for the national development. Their roles are increasingly valued, more correctly perceived and simultane- ously, nations have implemented exploitation and development programs to develop them in a profes- sional, modern manner to meet the increasing demands of the socio-economic development. Laos is a country of low level of socio-economic development. Its special history and geog- raphy have not created good conditions for the development of information, documentation and li- brary. Over the last 400 years, documents have been kept in pagodas, their information was poor and their vitality was greatly influenced by the invasion as well as the colonial cultural policies of France and the United States. During the French colony, the French built libraries but due to low literacy levels, the use of library and information, documentation exploitation were limited. Under the American colony, in turn, the library system has been developed to provincial level; however, as most documents were written in English, they were limitedly used due to language barrier. Currently, information, documentation and library have been developed along with the de- velopment of sciences and education in the country. Nevertheless, like many countries in their devel- opment process, Laos is facing social and human difficulties. Such problems need to be interpreted 2 and consulted by social sciences. In that respect, the work of information and documentation as doc- ument provision for Lao social sciences research and development is meaningful and necessary. Moreover, in the integration and development trend of all fields, the information, documen- tation and library of Laos are also exposed to major limitations and inefficiency, which need new supplementation and development by an ad hoc and scientific system of policies. In order to do so, the first and foremost issue to be identified and solved is to specify the roles of information, documenta- tion and library, stating specific directions for their solutions and thus, making recommendations to the highest levels of leadership to set out policies for the development of information, documentation and library. Therefore, with this Thesis, we want to study and learn about most fundamental issues on the roles of information, documentation and library, evaluate these activities in Laos, from which orientations and suggestions are stated to make such activities more professional, modern and effec- tively applicable. 2. Research objectives of the Thesis: The Thesis objectives: Based on the research, study and clarification on the roles of information, documentation and library on the current development of social sciences in Laos, the Thesis tries to point out issues and causes from information and documentation perspectives in the relationship between information - documentation - library and social sciences in Laos; thus, raises a number of orientations and solu- tions to improve the quality and effectiveness of information, documentation and library in Laos in the near future in order to meet the development needs of social sciences in particular and Laos socie- ty in general. The tasks of the Thesis: The Thesis has three basic tasks: Firstly, stating the roles of information, documentation and library in the development of so- cial sciences. Secondly, raising a number of issues regarding the status quo, the roles of information, doc- umentation and library in the development of social sciences in Laos in the nearly past 40 years. Thirdly, providing orientations and solutions to promote the roles of information, documen- tation and library in social sciences in order to meet the increasing requirements for the development of social sciences in Laos today. 3. Objects and scope of research The Thesis focuses on the relationship of information, documentation and library and the development of social sciences in Laos in the nearly last 40 years. In other words, it is the relationship between information and the development of Lao social sciences. Study objects: The roles of information - documents - library in social sciences. Scope of research: the above-mentioned objects were considered mainly in Laos: The rela- tionship between information, documentation and library and Lao social sciences. In terms of theory, the Thesis explores this relationship in the literature of philosophy, epistemology and library science. In terms of practicality, the Thesis limits its research to the current situation in Laos. The content which refers to Vietnam is mainly for comparison to draw lessons and theoretical conclusions. In terms of time, due to the fact, the Thesis mainly considers the relationship between information, documentation and library and social sciences in Laos in the last 40 years. 3 There are quite a lot of issues about the roles of information, documentation and library on the activities of social sciences in Laos. In the framework of a philosophical Thesis on information, documentation and library, we only pay attention to big issues set out from philosophical perspective; especially issues for the current limited and backward development of Lao social sciences. 4. Research methods: + Rationale and methodology: - Marxism-Leninism, revolutionary way of Lao People's Revolutionary Party. - Strategy for socio-economic development of Laos, especially documents of Congress VII, VIII, IX of Lao People's Revolutionary Party. Logical deployment of Thesis: The Thesis analyzes the explanations of phenomena to un- derstand their status and nature; identify issues to be solved; find out the causes of the status quo and thereby state directions and solutions. + Research Methodology: The Thesis uses historical – logical method, analysis - synthesis, systematization, compari- son and the interdisciplinary methods of social sciences. To conduct the study, the Thesis uses methods of documentation, document studies, particu- larly historical and legal documents on Lao information, documentation and library. The Thesis uses a number of statistics, quantitative research documents and some reports of state agencies on Lao in- formation, documentation and library. Apart from classic documents, theories and methodological perspectives of philosophy, we also use resources and other secondary research information on Lao society in recent years. One important source for the study and construction of this Thesis is reports on the information and docu- mentation of the National Library of Laos; Lao Institute of Social Sciences, Central Library of the National University of Laos, etc.; the inheritance of previous research results related to library and information activities in Laos; the information resources of Lao information and documentation in Vietnam and in the world. In this Thesis, we also use reports by the World Bank, UNDP, IMF; the statistics of the Lao PDR; some studies on Lao economy and society such as "The Country of Laos, Lao society and the development of the Lao people " (2011) which was coordinately conducted by Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and Lao National Academy of Social Sciences; the secondary information from sur- veys on Lao economy and society. 5. Contributions of the Thesis: This is the first thesis conducted in the area of library and information in Laos and is also the first philosophical dissertation on the field. The Thesis has: - Comparatively systematically generalized the roles of information, documentation and li- brary in the development of social sciences from the philosophical perspective. - Identified the current situation of the social sciences development in Laos. - Identified the current situation of information, documentation and library of Laos; prelimi- narily evaluated their operational history. - Proposed solutions for the development of information, documentation and library in Laos in the coming period. These above - mentioned are also the new scientific contributions of the Thesis. 4 6. Thesis composition: The Thesis consists of four chapters: 1 Overview and 3 research chapters with 8 sub-parts. Chapter 1. Overview of Research Situation For the purpose of research and thesis writing, we have gathered and studied documents on information, documentation and library, information - documentation activities in general as well as the roles of information, documentation and library on social activities and social sciences from doc- uments in Russian (including the former Soviet Union), English documents which are translated into Vietnamese, English documents, Vietnamese documents (written by Vietnamese) and Lao documents. 1.1. Documents in Russian and English documents being translated into Vietnamese: Since the middle of the twentieth century, there have been a lot of works on information. From the perspective of philosophy, the studies on information and on the nature, character- istics and significance of the information have been put out quite deeply and especially ebullient in the world of philosophy, epistemology and the library science of the former Soviet Union and Bulgar- ia. Many works deeply clarify such issues as the philosophical nature of information, the relationship between information and scientific knowledge, information and controlling processes based on reflective theory. In addition, a number of articles of foreign authors written in English refer to information, information operations, and library. Western scholars also pay much attention to information, docu- mentation and library as well as the roles and significance of information, documentation and library in the development of society and science besides their interests in information and communication technology, information and information study. In the above-mentioned studies, mainly those con- ducted and recommended by International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) shown deep concerns on information and library. 1.2. Documents in Vietnamese: Over nearly the last 20 years, along with the strong development of science and technology, the information, documentation and library science has received much research interest in Vietnam, especially in the field of information – library studies. The philosophical aspect of information has been gradually approached by authors. In terms of information particularly, in addition to information studies, information is also accessed from the cybernetic, computer, information technology sciences mainly works by scholars who are lecturers of faculties of information – library, of information technology, cybernetics. From their approach perspective, they view information in different perspectives and methods. Notably, university curriculum textbooks being published respectively in recent decades have provided useful information and knowledge for numerous students. Such textbooks consist of two types; the first type shows concerns to information from the perspective of information – library studies and the other is curriculum of information technology, cybernetics and informatics. Some other works of informatics include primarily textbooks of general informatics, such as General Informatics Curriculum (Nguyen Duc Man, ed., 2010), General Informatics Curriculum (Han Viet Thuan, ed., 2009) written for economics students. 5 Regarding dissertation Thesis, there are two works which have mentioned quite a lot about information. The first is the doctoral Thesis named "Information and the information reception and processing in the mind of Vietnamese" by Le Thi Duy Hoa, Ho Chi Minh National Political Acade- my, 2002. In this work, the author has devoted the entire first chapter to analyze the information and the process of information receiving and processing of human thought. The second is PhD Thesis named "Information technology and its social impacts on modern society - Social philosophical anal- ysis" by Nguyen Thi Huong Lan, Institute of Philosophy, 2008. Although the Thesis is about infor- mation technology, the author spends one part of it (about 20 pages) to discuss the information, knowledge and relationships between information and information technology. The author has re- viewed information in the perspective of reflective theory and placed information in the movement of information society, pointing out the relationship between information and information technology. Regarding scientific journal articles written on information, documentation and library, the number of articles referring to this topic is quite a lot. However, most of the research papers are ap- proached in the narrow professional approach of information – library science; therefore, they mainly go into each specific issue, technique and situation. In the philosophical approach to information, there are some articles: "The concept of ‘information’ from the ontological and epistemological approach" by Le Thi Duy Hoa, Journal of Philosophy, No. 1 (107), 1999; "The nature of information and knowledge economy" by Phung Van Thiet, Journal of Philosophy, No. 1 (1-2005), tr.57-61. These two articles have linked information with reflective theory. Also published in Journal of Philosophy, No. 3 (166), tr.33-37, March 2005, the article “In- formation society and its role in social management” by Nguyen Huu De has approached social in- formation and its role in social management. The author refers to the concept of information, admit- ting that information is the reflection of physical realm and is objective; information is the inherent property of the physical world. In general, approaches from the philosophical perspective primarily concern information in the broadest sense, definitely including activities of information, documentation and library. Such approaches are still single studies rather than a recognized project on information and the role of information on the general development of social sciences. Approaching information from the perspective of information studies, the articles "Access to information from the methodological perspective of scientific classification", Journal of Information and Development, No. 2/2011 and "Information study: is it an interdisciplinary science? ", Journal of Information and development, No. 10 (32), 2009 by Tran Thi Quy show the nature and position of information studies in the system of sciences. In the article "Concept and connotation of information study through research and practical activities", Journal of Information and Development, No.1&2 (34) 2010, the author Vu Van Son suggests that, in most countries of the world, the term ‘scientific and technical information’ or simply ‘information science’, is used more often and put in the interdisciplinary science. Nghiem Xuan Huy (Vietnam National University) has two research papers named "The role of information capacity for scientific research officers", Information and Library Network Vietnam, at http:// vietnamlib.net, accessed on 24/01/2010 and "The role of information literacy for scientific research officers", Journal of Library of Vietnam, No. 3 (23), 2010. Both of these articles refer to 6 information, the role of information for scientific researchers, showing the importance of information literacy, the capacity (which workers can well undertake) for the scientific research officers. With the article "Scientific information and scientific research", Journal of Social Infor- mation, Hanoi, 1993, the author Le Nhu Diem has approached information from the narrow angle of scientific information and placed them in relation to scientific research. Also referring to social science information, the authors Dang Thi Thanh Ha and Tran Manh Tuan in "Solutions for product and service development social science information", Journal of In- formation and Development, No. 5/2011, believe that, in research institutes of Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, to perform their duties, social science information and library agencies constantly create and provide different types of information products to users. Therefore, to improve the effi- ciency of information use, the principles, solutions for social science product development and infor- mation services need to be paid attention to. In the "System of national information in the industrialization and modernization process of the country", 2010, Journal of Information and Development, No. 6 & 7 (37), the author Pham Van Vu thinks that in order to implement industrialization and modernization, international integration, performing the tasks of socio-economic, science and technology development, there must be break- through changes for information systems, information dissemination need to be better organized. In the particular array of library science, library studies, a lot of articles have been constantly published in journals of information and documentation, information and development, libraries of Vietnam in recent years. In journals published in 2012, there have emerged a number of articles about libraries, the training of library information staff, many articles refer to the practical problems of the current library branch in Vietnam. Notably is the article "Formative factors and development trends of libraries in the world and Vietnam", Vietnam Library Journal, No.3/2012, p.18-21. Also in this issue of Vietnam Library Journal, No.3/2012, Le Van Viet with the article "Development and strengthening the rela- tionship between public libraries and society" has stated that the library is a social institution, being created by society and serving society; thus, the society must be responsible for creating favorable conditions for the construction and development of the library. Also in the Vietnam Library Journal No. 3/2012, the article named "Strengthening profes- sional training for library and information staff in Vietnam" by Nguyen Thi Hanh, has mentioned the importance of professional training for library and information staff, the current status of professional training for library and information staff in Vietnam and proposed measures to strengthen profession- al training in library - information. In addition, there are a number of workshops which mention the core issues of the library, issues raised in the digital age, in the context of deeper integration in all fields of Vietnam; all is a very meaningful reference for Laos. 1.3. Documents in Laotian: For Laos, the philosophical analyses of information, documentation and library are totally a new issue. According to the information that we collect during the course of the Thesis, there are no books and journals on this issue. Even theses and graduate dissertation of domestic and foreign au- thors and PhD. Students who show their interests in theoretical, macro level and orientation capable are really rare. 7 Among the thesis of these graduate students, there is no thesis referring to information – documentation and the roles of information – documentation and library in the social and science development, especially from the philosophical aspects roles of information – documentation and library in the social and social science development of Laos. Information, documentation are only found in internal reports of the libraries, universities However, it is comparatively difficult to find such information and documentation in Laos due to poor archival conditions. At the level of specific practices, we see that the international reports by sponsoring organi- zations for projects conducted in Laos, more or less, have mentioned the information and library activities in Laos. We can see this on a number of websites, online data. In documents of the Party and State of Laos, the practical perspective of information, docu- mentation and library has not been systematically and directly mentioned. Nevertheless, among a number of documents or statements made by senior leaders of Laos, we see some which refer to information, documentation and library in Laos. Conclusion of Chapter 1 Chapter 2 The roles of information, documentation and library in the development of social sci- ences 2.1. Some concepts of information, documentation and library and their activities 2.1.1. Information and documentation 2.1.1.1. Information Generally, information is all recorded facts, events, ideas and judgments that are able to in- crease human understanding. Information is formed in the process of communication in all fields of social life. Everyone can get information directly from other people, through language, text, through the mass media, from the data banks or by observation or experience the around world. According to the understanding of philosophy, information is the reflection of the real world (natural and social) in many different forms, such as: words, symbols, images, etc. or more generally by means which are able to influence human senses. We believe that the concept of "information" primarily includes the following: - The knowledge that human beings have created in history, which was recorded as symbols, characters, languages and styles, etc. in texts, documents, being transferred from one to another generation. - The external form of language transfer is usually expressed in the form of human culture such as music, painting, sculpture, dance, etc. - The kinds of knowledge which are conveyed through intermediate carriers in the form of signals, electromagnetic waves, light waves and other forms of human communication. - The complex form of communication, transmission, signals, messages and meaning be- tween the various actors in human life and society. Thus, the most meaningful forms of information that the Thesis studies and proposes are information issues, firstly the rich and complex knowledge of humans, which exist in documentation forms that are most significantly stored, transmitted and most effective for knowledge of all kinds in libraries (or information centers) with their various activities. 8 The above - mentioned is the concept of information to be used within the Thesis. However, apart from this, it is necessary to state that, information, documentation and library have their own characteristics and in different areas, the concepts of "information" can not be homogenous. In terms of philosophy, "Information" means all the signals from the outside world that affects humans, being received, processed and exchanged by them for the existence and development of humans and human society. Information is divided into various layers, forms and kinds Social sciences show concerns to many types, forms of information with more emphasis to social information. Documentation is referred the resources formed on the basis of collection, storage, or processing information according to a certain theme and. And the library is a place to keep, pre- serve, provide, share and even create information and documentation. Once being identified, information and documentation are associated with library; that is, they associate with the form and the place of information storage, while they "ignore" or set aside the other existent forms or expressions of information. In other words, the information is placed in rela- tion to documentation and library. In the actual information operation, information – documentation and library are coherently associated with each other. In the dissemination of information, it is not coincident that people often refer to the term ‘information – documentation – library’, because the library refers to books, articles, documents which means documentation, and documentation means information which is the content stored in such documents. The information we mention in this Thesis is not a single, incoherent signal; it is located in a discrete system associated with documentation and library, library activities, and they are under the category of information and library science (also known as information and library studies). It should be emphasized that also in this Thesis, we do not deal with the nature aspect of in- formation but its social aspect and nature to study information and social life and social sciences. However, when needed, we also mention its natural attributes, valuesand universal significance so that it can be better visualized the problem and content being discussed. The general attributes of information: Information as phenomenon, especially when it is considered as a social phenomenon, we can identify its attributes: exchange, quantity, quality, value and price. Classification of information The common basic classification of information is as follows: according to the value and us- age scale; the content of information; users; levels of content processing; forms of information ex- pressions: Mass Media: refers to information disseminated via the press, online networks. Scientific Information: scientific information is the kind of information which has high level of accuracy, being verified through research tools by the scientific research methods. Those who use scientific information can be leaders and manages, researchers, professors, students, engineers, or manufacturers and businessmen [60:43]. The incorrect information used in sciences can be generally understood as not being scientific information (misinformation or incorrect information). In this Thesis, the concept of information which we mention is not public information but scientific information; that is, scientific information for the general public which is on the mass media such as spoken, written and visual press, online media. It means information of specialized, high quality, reliable disciplines, being able to research as well as the development of sciences. Here, we emphasize the role of information for the social sciences and social activities. 9 These forms of information are usually conveyed and stored in journals, thematic collec- tions, scientific publications (books, proceedings of scientific workshops and seminars ), and scien- tific reports with procedures conforming certain criteria recognized by the scientific community of a nation or of the world. Thus, information refers to documentation; the two are interconnected and unseparated. Social science information: Social science information can be interpreted as social science knowledge that information disseminates. According to the American Heritage Science Dictionary [98], social science information is different disciplines studying human society and social relation- ships, including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science and history. 2.1.1.2. Documentation According to the Encyclopedia of Vietnam, the term "documentation" refers to information carriers in different forms such as books, periodicals, recordings, video recordings, films, magnetic disks, optical disks, etc. Depending on the characteristics, nature, content, material and usage, docu- ments are divided into several types: audio-visual documents, historical documents, confidential documents, archives, original documents [67], etc. In terms of connotation, the concept of documentation is equivalent to the concept of the document. Documentation information and scientific information have similarities and differences. Sci- entific information is just information which has been evaluated scientifically, being the specialized information of sciences, and documentation information can be information in either broad sense or specialized narrow one. Documentation information refers to general information and mentions about its media, storage rather than merely noting the aspects of their scientific content. Therefore, documentation information and scientific information should not be homogeneous even though in reality, these two concepts are sometimes used interchangeably. In conclusion, the term ‘documentation’ is often associated the term ‘information’ to form documentation information or information – documentation. When speaking of the term, it is often understood as information and documentary forms performing storage and dissemination functions. 2.1.1.3. Information, documentation and scientific research It can be understood that information and documentation in the core are the scientific infor- mation communication and for scientific activities although not all of the information and documenta- tion activities are scientific information or create scientific information. However, overall, infor- mation and documentation activities are aimed at achieving valuable scientific information that have implications for the development of sciences. In fact, the process of one scientific activity occupies the majority of information and docu- mentation. As can be seen, information and documentation is a form of organized scientific work being performed by information officers for the enhancement of the research and development effi- ciency, including the technical information collection and processing, synthesizing and analysis, storage and search in documents, as well as introducing this information for science and technology officers when necessary, under the convenient forms to meet the needs of their scientific information. It is able to confirm information and documentation is form of scientific labor because the purpose of the information and documentation coincides with the second most important signs in the definition of scientific labor; which means the effective and prompt usage of acquired knowledge into 10 practice and reality. In addition, any study or research implementation also begins with theme identi- fication, overview of research history in the issues. Normally, this is done by preparing information and it is not just at the outset of the study but also in its implementation process. Thus, it can be said that preparing information is an associated part in the approach of scientific and implementation research. 2.1.2. Library 2.1.2.1. The concept of Library: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization defines "Library, which does not depend on its name, is any organized collection of books, periodicals or other docu- ments, including graphics, audio visual and staff who are responsible for to organize readings of users for information, scientific research, education or entertainment "[66:35]. This concept has overarched all types of libraries in general. The important content of the library is information – documentation and activities related to information-documentation. Consequently, the fact shows that library means information – documentation and library activities are information – documentation activities. 2.1.2.2. Types of library: There are two basic types of libraries, including public libraries and specialized (and multi- disciplined) libraries. 2.1.2.3. Library operation: Library operation is truly information – documentation activities and not being beyond such activities. In fact, no libraries are merely places to acquire and store books and newspapers. Library operation in its most literal meaning is understood as activities of the library profes- sion to preserve and provide primary documents for readers (users). The library's missions are often divided into two arrays; one is related to the internal (tech- nical) operation of the library and the other deal directly with readers-users. Nowadays, with the development of information technology and spiritual entertainment needs, library operation has become much richer; however, these two above activities are still main basic tasks of a library institution. 2.1.3. The relationship between information, documentation and library, and the dis- tinction between information – documentation activities and library activities 2.1.3.1. The relationship between information, documentation and library Information, documentation and library are well interconnected. Over the past two decades, the mixture of information and library, of information in library archives and library activities are stick together and it is hard to distinctively separate them. Many researchers are from the information centers and libraries. This phenomenon is predominant in developed countries such as the UK, the USA in which, librarians are the leading experts in the field of information, information studies, who are responsible for providing information on social sciences. If you want to know about the book you're looking for, the librarian will give you deep instructions, not only finding and bringing them to you. Also for decades, in the developed countries, the number of newsletters, magazines, jour- nals of social sciences is huge such as philosophy, culture, sociology, etc. Many online networks such as http://csssi.yale.edu/ of Yale University, http://www.ifla.org of IFLA, http://ssi.sagepub.com of SAGE Publications, etc. have shared the studies, collections of international levels [...]... initiated the reform and opening up Under the leadership of the People s Democratic Party of Laos, the Lao tribes are united to maintain independence, sovereignty and to build a civilized and progressive country in Laos 3.1.2 Some aspects of the history of information, documentation storage and the formation and development of Lao library in the last nearly 40 years This section describes the history of library... of Lao social sciences: the status quo and the issues raised 3.1 Natural features, history and socio – economy of Laos and the situation of information, documentation and library in Laos in the last 40 years 3.1.1 Natural, historical and socio-economic features of Laos 3.1.1.1 The nature and history of Lao People' s Democratic Republic 3.1.1.2 The socio-economic feature Laos is a landlocked country, there... of contemporary society, has become popular 2.2.2 The role of library for the development of society The role of library in the development of society is reflected in its functions; these functions are gradually being identified and developed in conjunction with the development of human society Here, there exists distinction on the role of each type of library Due to different purposes and functions... documentation and library in Laos 3.2.1 The situation of information, documentation resources in large information, documentation centers and libraries of Laos Currently, Laos has three major agencies participating in information, documentation and library activities They are: The National Library of Laos, the National University of Laos Library, the Library of Lao Academy of Social Sciences The Thesis provides... activities in Laos and their roles in the current development of Lao social sciences Currently, Lao Academy of Social Sciences is conducting a development orientation program on Lao social sciences and information, documentation in the near future However, when look- 20 ing at the status quo of Lao social sciences as well as the current context of the world information and documentation development and the requirement... orientations and solutions to enhance the role of information, documentation and library to meet the development demands for social sciences in the People' s Democratic Republic of Laos The status quo of information and documentation activities in Laos today is limited and weak Thus, regarding orientations and measures to enhance the role of information, documentation and library in Laos, apart from promoting the. .. urgent and has the following highlighted characteristics: + The macroscopic orientation determined on the basis of the Party and the State policies in planning and construction of social and economic development in general and the development of social sciences and humanities in particular + The growing integration, diversity and inter-discipline due to the needs of increasing cohesion between sciences and. .. requirement of developing information, documentation and library in Laos, we find that: - In the context of the growing development of information technology, with the current situation of human capacity, information resources, infrastructure for operation, the information, documentation and library activities in Laos can not contribute to promote the social development of Laos as well as the development of Lao. .. promotion, there would not be the development of documentation and document usage and mining 3.3 Issues facing the exploitation of information, documentation and library for the development of social sciences and some predictions on the responsive ability of information and documentation on the development of Lao social sciences in the future 3.3.1 Issues facing information, documentation and library... information and cultural identity of the nation are determining factors in the survival and development of each country" [60:70] It can be said that the role of information is confirmed by everyone, especially in the globalization era, the era of "information society" , of "global information revolution" The goals of scientific information makers or providers is to understand the needs of users for full and . this Thesis, we also use reports by the World Bank, UNDP, IMF; the statistics of the Lao PDR; some studies on Lao economy and society such as " ;The Country of Laos, Lao society and the development. management and encouraged the development of private enterprises. Since 1990, the government initiated the reform and opening up. Under the leadership of the People s Democratic Party of Laos, the Lao. for the development of social sciences in Laos today. 3. Objects and scope of research The Thesis focuses on the relationship of information, documentation and library and the development of