Laos's
long history of struggle, coupled with its peoples' diverse ethnic background
has produced a wealth of material on art and culture, which can be found in the
Library of Congress's Laos collection. The capital, Vientiane, is the major
source of research publications in Laos and the Library of Congress now has a
representative office to collect such materials. The LC Bangkok Office directs
the acquisitions activities for LC and the Lao CAPSEA program. To strengthen and
maintain the Lao Program, the office staff coordinates and has regular
transactions with our representative in Laos. The Library of Congress has one of
the finest collections of publications from Laos outside of Laos itself. Because
of the difficulties in making Lao publications accessible, the Bangkok office
selects many of the serials and books to be added to the LC microformat
collections. In 2001, the office collected more than 600 serials and 250
approved monographs, including audio recordings and CDs. Many of these
publications include works on the unique flora and environmental conditions in
Laos. In addition, the staff attempt to collect materials documenting the role
of Laos during the Indochina war and its aftermath, including the involvement of
America in Laos. The Lao program is the newest CAPSEA program and we encourage
libraries to join. Annually, a
list of new serials titles 
is circulated. Contact
us at jakarta2@loc.gov for more information.
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