Page 35 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2015 Vol. 41

034 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol. 7, 2015

prefectural-level cities and county governments should be designated to build the central-branch
system within their respective jurisdictions” (Qiu, L. Z. Yu, C. P. Li, Gao, & Qu, 2010).

2 The establishment and full development of central-branch public library
system at county level

The central-branch library system requires at least one library facility as the central library and
several library facilities as branch libraries. However, only the libraries at or above county level are
considered and referred to as“public libraries”in government documents, literatures on library
science and statistical documentations, while those below county level are not regarded as stable
social facilities due to lack of funds and effective management (L. Z. Yu, Xu, & G. Q. Zhang,
2012, p.2).
A single library has limited capacity to serve a large population, while a cluster of libraries are
able to provide standardized services for urban and rural areas. It is therefore important to build
fully functional and carefully laid out clusters of libraries whose services can cover both urban
and rural areas. Libraries at county level are able to function as the “central library” as they are
independent institutions. Then the question is which facilities can serve as branch libraries?

2.1 Making coordinated and overall use of existing facilities and resources to build an
inter-connected and intra-connected network of libraries

It is neither proper nor economical to build multiple independent public libraries or branch libraries
in one same county, even more so in one same township below county level, as building and
running a library requires professional human resources, sizable premises, and guaranteed funds
to cover book procurement, payrolls and operating costs. It would be a too big investment for
townships with low revenue. It is thus premature to build independent libraries below county level
that meet the institutional, operational and personnel requirements of established libraries (G. X.
Li, 2005).
As an important part of the system of culture services funded by public finance, libraries by
nature provide public reading services to guarantee the basic reading rights of the general public.
The delivery of services has little to do with the organizational system of the library. The facilities
do not have to be independent “libraries” in the traditional sense. What makes a library a library
is the services it provides rather than the name it is given (i.e. whether it’s called a “library”
or not). Therefore, stereotypical perception of “libraries” should be broken down and service-
oriented mindset characterized by the central-branch system should be established, integrating
and making use of the existing reading facilities and resources to build branch libraries.
(1) Making coordinated and overall use of public culture facilities in urban and rural areas
In addition to county-level libraries, county culture centers, township general culture stations,