What makes Associate Professor Phan Van's position special in the history of the Faculty is not only his role as the first Dean, but also his role in laying the initial foundations for the unit's development. In the early days, when resources were scarce, he and his colleagues built the training program, shaped the academic development direction, and built a professional team, creating a foundation for subsequent generations to continue to inherit and develop.
The milestone of 1996 – The beginning of a training unit.
The tradition of library science training at Hanoi University was established in 1973 at the Faculty of History. Building upon that foundation, 1996 marked a significant turning point when the undergraduate program in Information and Library Science was developed, officially enrolling students at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi. On August 23, 1996, Associate Professor Dr. Phan Van was appointed the first Head of the Information and Library Science Department.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Van - the first Head of the Department of Information and Library Science.
The Department's early days were extremely modest: three full-time lecturers, one office staff member, and an office of about 15 m² with very little equipment. Under those conditions, the most important thing was not what already existed, but what needed to be built: the training program, the staff, the learning materials, the organizational methods, and the first cohorts of students. Associate Professor Dr. Phan Van stood at that very starting point.
Associate Professor Phan Van (third from the right) poses for a commemorative photo with his teachers on Vietnamese Teachers' Day, November 20, 1996.
The role of the first Head of Department therefore extends beyond simply managing a newly established unit. It is also the role of a facilitator, working with colleagues to transform a training orientation into a truly academic organization; from initial limited conditions, gradually forming a training environment capable of long-term development.
Academic impact - Expanding from library to information
A significant contribution of Associate Professor Dr. Phan Van is his academic thinking that directs the training program beyond the scope of traditional library work to embrace a broader range of information science.
In a period when library science worldwide is expanding to encompass issues of information, information systems, processing, storage, retrieval, and information services, Professor belongs to a generation of Vietnamese scientists who were early adopters of this shift. Works such as "Introduction to Library and Information Science" and "Information Science" have contributed to incorporating content on information activities, information systems, service organization, and information automation into teaching and research.
Textbook by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Phan Van
In the context of the 1990s, this was not simply a change in terminology. Behind the shift from "library" to "library-information," and then to "information science," lay a broader perspective on the profession: libraries were not merely places for storing documents; those working in the field not only managed books but also had to know how to organize information resources, understand information needs, and use technology to deliver information to users.
That mindset contributed to the formation of an important academic foundation that allowed the field of training to continue expanding in subsequent periods.
The imprint of creation - Training programs for people.
For an academic discipline to be established, the decision to create it is only the starting point. What determines the long-term vitality of a training institution is its curriculum, specialized knowledge, learning materials, faculty, and generations of students. Associate Professor Dr. Phan Van has directly participated in creating these fundamental elements.
Professor's textbooks and professional works not only served individual courses but also contributed to shaping the conceptual framework and scientific approach for the first generations of students. His materials continued to be used in training activities for many years afterward, demonstrating the enduring vitality of the academic foundations built from the early stages.
But the mark of a teacher is not only found in books and knowledge.
From the first cohorts of students, generations of lecturers, researchers, administrators, and experts in the field of information and library science have gradually emerged. Many have gone on to work at universities, libraries, and information agencies, and then participate in training subsequent generations.
Therefore, Associate Professor Phan Van's contributions continue to be felt in the very people he trained, in the academic standards and perspectives on the profession that have been passed down through generations.
The legacy of the pioneers
Thirty years since its founding in 1996, the unit has gradually developed from the original Department of Information and Library Science into the Faculty of Information and Library Science, and in 2026 it will officially be named the Faculty of Information Management.
Names may change. The scope of training and research is constantly expanding. Today's issues have gone further to include information management, knowledge management, data, digital libraries, digital technology, and artificial intelligence. But every journey of development needs a starting point.
For the Faculty of Information Management, Associate Professor Phan Van's mark lies precisely in that starting point. It was the formation of a training unit; the development of a curriculum; the opening of an academic approach; the creation of specialized learning materials; and the training of the first generations of students.
The value of a founder lies not in foreseeing the entire future, but in creating a sufficiently solid foundation for those who come after to continue to develop, innovate, and expand.
Throughout the history of the Faculty of Information Management, Associate Professor Phan Van has always been respectfully recognized in a special position: the first Dean – the person who, along with his colleagues, paved the way and laid the foundation for the Faculty's development. From those first bricks laid in 1996, a three-decade journey has been continued through the inheritance, innovation, and aspirations of many generations.
Associate Professor Phan Van was awarded the 70-Year Party Membership Badge in 2019.
Remembering Professor Phan Van, what remains is not only respect for an educator and scientist, but also affection for a teacher who has become a beautiful part of the memories of many generations. His image, with his gentle smile, calm demeanor, and dedication to his profession, will always be remembered with reverence. Time may change many things, but some people remain in the collective memory for a long time because they have left not only a professional mark but also compassion, dedication, and faith in future generations. Today, remembering him is not just a remembrance, but also a profound expression of gratitude for a respected teacher, a beloved figure whose image will always be cherished by colleagues and generations of students.
Author:Department of Information Management
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