Page 42 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2015 Vol. 41

Wugang JIN / A study on construction and accomplishment for the county level central-branch library system in China 041

designed and carried out many types of reading programs, such as “Story Mums”, “Happy Reading
Rainbow Hall”, “Classic Recitation House” and so on. After being piloted and optimized, these
reading programs have been distributed to the branch libraries in townships and villages and
provided to local readers with the help in publicity and promotion from modern media including
radio broadcast, television and website (Y. Yang, 2014). In 2014, the Wujiang Library held a major
parent-children reading event in the region, the story-telling contest themed by “Growing Up
with Your Child”, which attracted 485 contestants from both urban and rural areas and received
a positive social response (“Wujiang Library successfully held the tale telling competition of
Growing up with Your Child”, 2014).

2.4 Clear division of responsibilities in operation between central and branch libraries

Generally, the basic model of county-level central-branch library system has the county library as
the central library, with culture stations in townships (sub-districts) as branch libraries and culture
service centers (village culture rooms and Farmers’ Reading Rooms) in villages (communities) as
lower-level branch libraries or mobile service outlets. As the funds are utilized and allocated at the
county level, resources and services are circulated fully within the system, with a focus on closing
the gap in resources for public reading and service capacity at the village level and facilitating the
balanced development for both urban and rural areas. Whether a branch library or mobile service
outlet is established in villages (communities), it depends on the size of local population in need of
library services and their financial conditions and willingness to support. Other public facilities and
infrastructure can also function as township (sub-district) branch libraries or village (community)
branch libraries or mobile service points.
The central library, together with all branch libraries and mobile service outlets, constitute
an integrated central-branch library system. While the central library is in charge of overall
management, including centralized procurement, cataloging and distribution, branch libraries are
the main providers of reading activities and front-line services.
1) Functions of the central library: procurement, cataloging, classification, labelling and
administration of books and other materials for all libraries in the county; distribution of books
and other materials to township (sub-district) branch libraries; maintaining the county’s digital
library resources and services; design, development and promotion of countywide reading events;
providing guidance and coordination for reader services; providing guidance for staff training; and
conducting reading events and lending services in the central library. The county library usually
serves as the central library in the local central-branch library system, playing the roles of leader
and initiator.
2) Functions of township (sub-district) branch libraries: conducting reading events and lending
services; routine operations; book transfer and exchange between different village (community)