On October 21, Mr. Tang Lien-Cheng, Director of the New Taipei City Library, and Mr. Luis Herrera signed a Memorandum of Understanding establishing a sister relationship between these two major libraries. This is the first international agreement establishing an official partnership with a foreign country that the San Francisco Public Library has ever signed. The two libraries will foster collaboration in the fields of exchanges of library holdings, personnel visits and exchanges, cultural and art exhibitions, and other activities that would cater to their mutual interests.

During his one-week stay in Taiwan, Mr. Herrera visited the National Central Library, Taipei Public Library, and the National Library of Public Information in Taichung City, and participated in a two-day conference hosted by National Taiwan Library as a keynote speaker. His presentation entitled “Accessible to All: Library Services for People with Disabilities at the San Francisco Public Library” introduced the unique arrangements which SFPL has put in place to serve its community.

Mr. Herrera also shared his expertise with teachers and students in the Department of Library and Information Science at National Taiwan University, in the Department of Library and Information Science at Fu-Jen University, and in the Department of Library and Information Studies at National Taiwan Normal University. We look forward to further collaborative exchanges between the San Francisco Public Library and Taiwan’s libraries, following Mr. Herrera’s very interactive and productive visit to Taiwan.