2004 Programs and Events

American Center Opens at Gala Reception (Jan. 29, 2004)

Ambassador Douglas A. Hartwick and Virginia Van Ostrand, Co-Director of the Lao-American College, gave welcoming remarks to the 150 people who attended the event.

The American Embassy is pleased to announce that the American Center, which provides information about the United States and its people and policies, is now open to the general public. The Grand Opening took place on January 29 at the Center, which is located on the campus of the Lao-American College. Ambassador Douglas A. Hartwick and Virginia Van Ostrand, Co-Director of the Lao-American College, gave welcoming remarks to the 150 people who attended the event.

The American Center is open free of charge to the general public Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to noon.

The American Center is one-stop source of up-to-date information about all aspects of the United States, its people, and its policies. It contains over 1,000 books, 45 magazines, CD and on-line databases, and other materials on the American people and culture, history and society, government and politics, economics and trade, foreign affairs and defense, the performing arts and literature, and education in the U.S. and American English. The American Center also has information on global concerns such as narcotics trafficking, protection of the environment, and terrorism.

The American Center also has four computers with free Internet access, and its staff can help you find information about the United States, both in the Center’s printed materials and on the Internet.