Page 35 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 43

035
WU Jianzhong / Re-discussion of ten hot topics in the development of librarianship 035

(Sun, 2015), which together with the Belt and Road Initiative have won world recognition and
have been written in the resolution of UN.
Many libraries in China have established cooperative relationship with libraries in the Belt and
Road countries and regions. In October, 2014 Forum of Directors of National Libraries in China
and Arab Countries was held in Beijing and 2014 Beijing Initiative of the Forum of Directors of
National Libraries in China and Arab Countries was passed. On March 17, 2017 King Salman
of Saudi Arabia visited Peking University and attended the inauguration ceremony of Peking
University Branch Library of the King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz Public Library. Shanghai Library
has built Shanghai Window with 43 libraries and institutions in 28 countries along the Belt and
Road. Chongqing Library, Guangzhou Library and Hangzhou Library have established relationship
of communication and personnel exchange through international friendly cities (J.Z. Wu, 2016b).
Closely related to the Belt and Road Initiative, libraries can make advantage of resources,
personnel and profession to contribute to the building of the initiative.

Conclusion

Hot topics usually are transient, but the ten hot topics in this paper are forward-looking and
strategic. The library and social development as well as the Belt and Road Initiatives and the
internationalization of libraries touch upon the relationship between libraries and society. Literacy
highlights the extension of library services from sole concern of reading to multiple literacies
including reading. Space reconstruction and digitalization have been hot spots of the development
of libraries since the beginning of the 21st century. However, digitalization covers more, including
artificial intelligence, digital humanities, open access movement, and public digital culture
and targeted poverty alleviation. Library reforms and the third-generation library are related to
transformation. Directed at the future, the ten topics explore the development of libraries. In the
short term, libraries should provide basic public services to realize the overall well-off. In the long
term, libraries should support knowledge and information for social development, especially the
all-round development of human being. In a word, as public cultural institutions, libraries must
develop abreast with social development.

References

Takeyuki Ako. (2016). The materials that lead us to discovery (資料来て我照らすか). Retrieved November
29, 2016, from http://www.dhii.jp/DHM/dhm64-1.
ALA. (2016). LIS new:Ten stories that shaped 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016, from http://lisnews.org/
ten_stories_that_shaped_201.
Baldock, C. (2017). Citations,open access and university rankings. in K. Downing, & F. A. Ganotice (eds).
World university rankings and the future of higher education:Chapter 7 (pp.129-139). IGI-Global.