11.2.2. Providing Public Access to Libraries
The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) maintains public access to its library system, books, and academic publications through UEH Smart Library, combining reading and learning spaces with digital resources and knowledge-sharing programmes.
According to publicly available university information, UEH Library welcomes community members for free visits and provides collections of books, research works, theses, dissertations, and other academic materials. Use of library services and learning resources is subject to the applicable access rights. In 2025, UEH continued expanding its community engagement through UEH Book Fair, welcoming groups of school students and visitors from external educational institutions. It also held Family Connect at Smart Library, enabling parents and children from the local community to explore the library spaces, books, and learning resources firsthand. These activities demonstrate UEH’s commitment to maintaining a knowledge-sharing space for learners while broadening public library access in support of SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.
1. Public Access Arrangements at UEH Smart Library
UEH Smart Library serves students, lecturers, researchers, and the wider community through learning spaces, book collections, academic publications, and digital resources. Alongside services for UEH users, the university publicly welcomes community members to visit the library free of charge, giving people outside the university an opportunity to explore its reading spaces, materials, and smart-library model.
Under UEH’s published guidance, the library offers learning resources including books, scientific research works, theses, dissertations, and other academic publications. Access to these resources is governed by the applicable permissions: open-access materials may be used under the conditions stated by each source, while licensed databases and specialised library services are managed in accordance with their usage regulations.
In 2025, UEH continued to offer free library visits to the community and organised hands-on activities introducing library resources to external visitors, including high-school students, parents, local children, and guests from other educational institutions. UEH Book Fair in March 2025 and Family Connect in July 2025 were two notable examples, allowing members of the public to experience library spaces, books, and learning resources directly with guidance from library staff.
Information on library facilities and academic resources is publicly available through UEH Smart Library and the university’s enrolment guidance portal, helping community members understand the spaces, services, and available access arrangements.
Sources:
UEH, Enrolment Guidance Portal – UEH Smart Library:
https://nhaphoc.ueh.edu.vn/dinh-huong-sau-nhap-hoc/hoc-tap-tai-ueh/khai-thac-nguon-hoc-lieu/smart-library-ueh/
UEH Smart Library:
https://smartlib.ueh.edu.vn/
A diverse range of services for students, lecturers, researchers, UEH alumni, and the general public
2. UEH Book Fair 2025 – Opening Library Spaces, Books, and Academic Resources to the Community
From 28 to 30 March 2025, UEH Smart Library helped organise UEH Book Fair at Campus B as part of UEH Sharing & Giving – Career Fair 2025. The event expanded access to book showcases, digital resources, and guidance on using learning materials for school students, university students, other learners, and visitors from outside UEH.
At the digital-resource exhibition, participants were introduced to 21 databases subscribed to by UEH, one sponsored database, two internally developed databases, and 103 open-access databases. Library staff and experts provided hands-on guidance on searching for and using academic information. Book stalls featured a broad selection of publications on business, design, architecture, literature, and children’s books.
Over the three days, the exhibition recorded more than 600 visits by UEH lecturers and learners, welcomed three groups of students from Ernst Thälmann and Nguyen Thai Binh high schools, and received visitors from other higher education institutions. The event provides concrete 2025 evidence of UEH opening spaces showcasing library materials and resources to people outside the university, giving them opportunities to explore books, publications, and information-search skills.
Full source:
UEH Portal, 5 April 2025, UEH Book Fair: Opening Pathways to Knowledge for the Younger Generation:
https://www.ueh.edu.vn/cuoc-song-ueh/tin-tuc/ueh-sharing-giving-career-fair-2025-ueh-book-fair-mo-loi-tri-thuc-cho-the-he-tre-73771
An EBSCO expert provides guidance on using databases
Participants explore UEH’s digital collections
The ArtBook stall attracts interest from visitors within and outside UEH
Students from Nguyen Thai Binh High School engage with the book stall
On the afternoon of 29 March 2025, the workshop “Effective Learning in the 4.0 Era” was held at the Smart Library Mini Auditorium on the sixth floor of Building B1. Designed for high-school students and first-year university students, it offered guidance on using technology to make studying and working more effective.
A valuable discussion and exchange between students and the speaker
- Family Connect: A 4.0 Library Adventure – Bringing the Library Closer to the Local Community
On 19 July 2025, UEH Smart Library organised Family Connect: A 4.0 Library Adventure on the eighth and ninth floors of Building N1 at Nguyen Van Linh Campus. The programme welcomed UEH families, parents, and children from Binh Hung Commune, enabling participants from outside the UEH academic community to experience library spaces and resources firsthand.
The programme featured five activity stations: AR Art Station, STEM Explorers, Smart Library Quest, English Fun Corner, and Decode and Play. Smart Library Quest introduced children to the library environment, books, and ways to search for information, while English Fun Corner introduced English-language learning resources and skills for accessing digital educational materials.
hrough Family Connect on 19 July 2025, UEH Smart Library directly welcomed parents and children from the local community to explore the library, practise information-search activities, and access digital learning resources. With more than 100 invited participants, the programme demonstrated how UEH shared its academic spaces and resources with users outside the university, helping to broaden access to knowledge and promote a reading culture in the community.
Source:
UEH Portal (23 July 2025), Family Connect: A 4.0 Library Adventure – An Inspiring Journey of Connection, Creativity, and Learning:
https://ueh.edu.vn/cuoc-song-ueh/tin-tuc/family-connect-a-40-library-adventure-hanh-trinh-ket-noi-sang-tao-va-hoc-hoi-day-cam-hung-74504
Overview of the “Family Connect: A 4.0 Library Adventure” programme
In addition to on-site services, UEH Smart Library maintains digital resources and open-access learning materials to help the community search for and obtain academic information. In 2025, the digital-resource exhibition at UEH Book Fair presented 103 open-access databases, enabling participants to explore and use information in accordance with each source’s terms. Combining digital resources with in-person guidance helps improve access to books and academic publications while complementing on-campus library services.
Conclusion
In 2025, UEH continued to welcome the community to visit UEH Smart Library free of charge, while showcasing books and learning resources and organising programmes for visitors from outside the university. Highlights included UEH Book Fair in March 2025, which welcomed high-school students and visitors from other educational institutions, and Family Connect in July 2025, which enabled local parents and children to experience library spaces and information-search activities directly.
By combining physical library spaces, open-access learning materials, and community-oriented activities, UEH helps broaden access to books, publications, and academic knowledge, supporting lifelong learning and SDG 11 – Sustainable Cities and Communities.