A current obstacle to the establishment of document management systems and databases with Khmer entries is that at the time of going to press the application of the new Khmer Unicode font remains limited, making it difficult for the Khmer font to be read electronically as intended.

Public sector libraries are under-funded in terms of staff costs. After lengthy training periods paid for by aid donors, staff often depart for better-paying jobs in the NGO or private sector. This issue will only be overcome when there are long-term sustainability plans for the library sector and improvements in civil servant salaries. Other challenges for the future include finding innovative ways to assist practising librarians to gain internationally-recognised professional qualifications.

Outside Phnom Penh library development has been slow, and apart from Siem Reap few provincial towns have libraries. This situation began to change in early 2003, when the Asia Foundation established 22 new Community Information Centres in provincial towns and cities. Each centre, hosted by a local NGO, has a small library in Khmer and provides free Internet access to all users. The programme is supported by a Khmer-language web portal http://www.cambodiacic.org, which provides information from a wide variety of sources.