Page 18 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 43

018 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.9, 2017

than Library 2.0: New Generation of Library Services published abroad and the quality of the
former was much better. “Reading promotion” is not a theorized concept in the West, while it is
considered as a general term for new type library reading services in Chinese library community.
The definition, scope, categories, nature and other foundational theories of reading promotion are
studied. Journals such as the Journal of Library Science in China published papers on reading
promotion to explain and clarify the concept. The papers also define the connotation of reading
promotion, “put forward its content and system structure” and “establish its theoretical system”
(Xie, W. Liu, Zhao, 2015). The Library Society of China also published training materials—Basic
theories of Library Reading Promotion. Chinese Library Science has gone deep into systematic
studies of cognition and value issues, whereas in the West studies still focus on empirical levels
such as cases and surveys. Their usage of the concept is often contradictory and studies of
theoretical significance are few.
Participation of Chinese Library Science in the international librarianship can be observed
from many aspects. There are more Chinese documents in the IFLA website and translations into
Chinese are more prompt. In annual conferences of IFLA, ALA and other professional conferences,
more speeches were made by Chinese librarians. The Tsinghua University Library and the Xiamen
University Library took an active part in library marketing and won the IFLA International
Marketing Award.

5.3 Library Society of China as promoter of theoretical studies

Library organizations and journals have been playing a critical role in the development of library
theories. The American Library Association was founded and the Library Journal was published
in 1876 which made the American Library Science in the forefront of the world. The first Chinese
library organization was founded in 1925, but its establishment did not change the situation of
spontaneous study of Library Science. The efforts to setting up the Library Society of China began
in 1956 were unsuccessful. Important academic meetings in that period were May Fourth Scientific
Symposium. In the 1980s and 1990s, departments of Library Science in the universities played a
more important role despite that some committees of the Library Society of China also organized
activities. For instance, influential conferences like Young Scholars’ Theoretical Seminar of
National Library Science in the 1980s, Educational Seminar of Library Science across the Taiwan
Straits in the 1990s were held in departments of Library Science in the universities.
At the beginning of the new century, the Library Society of China adopted the working pattern
similar to library associations in developed countries, which is to lead the library industry
engaging in theoretical research by organizing academic activities. Conferences and activities
organized by the Library Society of China advanced the development of Library Science. The
Annual Conference of the Library Society of China in 2004 was a landmark. On the 100 years’
anniversary of Chinese library, the Library Society of China took “Library Spirits for One Hundred