Page 49 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 42

048 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol. 8, 2016

1.3 The assessment on reading resources usage

Reading resources usage is the use of various types of reading materials by citizens. This is the
end of the reading resources flow chain. The assessment on reading resources usage aims at
understanding the national reading status, and whether the reading literacy of citizens has been
actually improved.
(1) The assessment of reading status
The national reading status includes the amount, mode, length and preference of reading. The
Chinese Academy of Press and Publication has conducted twelve national reading surveys by
2015, which was initiated in 1999. The survey collects data on a nation scale by sample survey,
and poses questions on reading percentage, reading amount, digital reading, purchasing ability of
books, self-evaluation, and expectation for reading programs. Comparing the results from recent
surveys shows that national reading percentage increases slowly, and print reading is still the
primary way of reading preferred by citizens. Meanwhile, digital reading develops rapidly, faster
than the traditional reading, among which online reading and mobile reading are the principal part
(H. Lu, 2014). Relevant surveys and assessments have been conducted for different populations in
China, such as the College Students’ Reading and Academic Libraries’ Reading Promotion Report
2010 (College Students Reading Committee, Reading and Mental Health Committee, 2011) and
Beijing Youth Reading Status Report 2014 (“Reading for all, you and me, publishing the 2014
survey report on the reading status of adolescents in Beijing”, 2015). Different provinces and
cities have carried out similar surveys, like the Hunan Reading Index Report 2011(“Survey report
of 14 cities’ reading index in Hunan Province in 2011”,2011), Shanghai Civil Reading Status in
New Media Environment Report (2010–2011)(“Publishing the survey report of Shanghai Civil
Reading Status in New Media Environment Report (2010–2011)”,2011), Beijing Reading Status
Survey 2011(“Survey of reading status in Beijing in 2011”, 2011), Shenzhen Reading Index Report
2014(“Shenzhen first published reading index”, 2014), etc. These studies show the national reading
status of China to some extent.
(2) The assessment of reading literacy
Reading literacy is defined as “the ability to understand and use those written language forms
required by society and/or valued by the individual” (International Association for the Evaluation
of Educational Achievement, 2011).It is the foundation for participating in the modern society, and
one of the goals for national reading programs is to improve the reading literacy of citizens. The
world’s most influential reading literacy assessments are Progress in International Reading Literacy
Study (PIRLS), Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), and National Assessment
of Educational Progress (NAEP) (Institute of Education Sciences, 2015).PIRLS is approved by the
Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), which assesses reading achievements of students
in their fourth year of school and is conducted every five years (TIMSS & PIRLS, 2011).PISA,
developed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), aims to