November 15, 2009 Ambassador of Singapore to Discuss International Commerce and Cross-Border Economic Development

The theme of international commerce and cross-border economic development will be addressed at the inaugural program of the Asian Ambassadors Lecture Series, which will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in the Mumford Room of the Library of Congress, located on the sixth floor of the James Madison building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C.

Her Excellency Chan Heng Chee, Ambassador of Singapore to the U.S., will deliver the keynote address and interact with a panel of experts and scholars. The panel will include Karl D. Jackson, director for Southeast Asia Studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Kevin W. Lu, director and chief financial officer of the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency at the World Bank; and Alexander Feldman, president of the US-ASEAN Business Council.

Organized jointly by the Library’s Asian Division and its Friends Society, the event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Pre-registration is required by Friday, Nov. 27, via e-mail to Mari Nakahara, mnak@loc.gov.

The purpose of the Asian Ambassadors Lecture Series is to promote broader awareness of the Library’s comprehensive collections, exceptional services and global expertise to the Asian diplomatic, commercial and research communities. The series will focus on important matters affecting relations between the U.S. and Asia that will be of interest to members of Congress, the public and private sectors, academic institutions and others.

The Library of Congress is a central repository for all types of Asian publications that are not broadly available at other locations in the United States. Initiated in 1869 with a gift of 10 works in 934 volumes offered to the United States by the Emperor of China, the Library's Asian collection has grown to more than 2 million items. For details on the Asian collection and services, visit the Asian Reading Room website at www.loc.gov/rr/asian/.

The Library of Congress, the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, is the world’s preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov, and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.