A total of 150,000 academic books will be donated to Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) University in Guangzhou by Harvard University in 2005, according to an agreement signed between the libraries of the two universities Sunday.

Librarian Nancy Cline from the Hilles Library of the US university and Huang Daren, the president of Zhongshan University, attended the signing ceremony.

The 150,000 books in 12,000 different categories or subjects are mainly arts, politics, sociology, women's studies and music. Zhongshan University said the value of the books exceeded 120 million yuan (US$15 million). They were expected to arrive between May and June in 2005.

The books will be kept in Zhongshan University's east campus in Guangzhou University City in Panyu District.

With its central library and the other three branch libraries in the university's north, east and Zhuhai campus and 23 college or departmental libraries, Zhongshan University boasts a rich collection of more than 4.5 million books and ranks at the top of the nation's university libraries in terms of collection.

The Hilles Library of Harvard University opened in 1966.

(Shenzhen Daily October 26, 2004)