Page 46 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 43

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

local government is to implement the National Basic Public Cultural Service Standards(2015-2020)
(hereinafter referred as Service Standards) and the local guidance. At the beginning of 2015, the
General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly
issued the Suggestion on Accelerating the Construction of Modern Public Cultural Service System.
As an attachment, the Service Standards was issued simultaneously. The Service Standards lists
basic public cultural service projects, facilities and guaranteeing conditions (3 categories, 14
counts and 22 entries) that governments of all levels should provide. In accordance with national
requirements, all provincial governments have published local implementation guidance based on
the national standards and local conditions. The implementation guidance puts forward specific
quantitative criteria for public libraries, such as the total reserves of resources, annul increment
of reserves and other related services. The purpose of quantitative criteria is to regulate the most
critical part of the public library funding. The Service Standards also specifies basic principles
of public cultural services funding guarantee, i.e., standardized calculation, embedded in the
fiscal budget, and ensuring local resident population to be entitled to enjoyment of public cultural
services. The content listed in the Service Standards and local guidance is the bottom line of basic
public cultural services of different regions. It is the primary guarantee to achieve equalization
through standardization and the solemn promise of the government for the people. The draft
of the Public Cultural Service Guarantee Law under consideration has made the formulation
and implementation of standardization of governments of all levels into law. Therefore, it is a
great opportunity to strengthen governments’ main responsibilities by implementing the Service
Standards and local guidance and establishing the financial support system based on standardized
calculation, which ensures the local resident population to be entitled to enjoyment of public
cultural services．

2.3 To speed up the construction of the central-branch system of public libraries on the
county level

It has been more than 10 years since Chinese public libraries began to implement the central-
branch system based on international experience and local conditions. A large number of
successful cases have emerged. It has been proved to be an effective way to enhance service
efficiency by transforming public libraries’ organization systems and operation mechanisms to
the central-branch system, which can strengthen coordination, integrate resources effectively
and promote the outreach of resources and services of good quality to rural areas. Based on more
than 10 years’ research and practice, the promotion of central-branch system construction with
county public libraries as the focus has been put on the agenda in the Suggestion on Accelerating
the Construction of Modern Public Cultural Service System and listed as key tasks of the
comprehensively deepening reformation of the culture system by the Central Reform Leading
Group. The Guiding Opinions on Promoting Central-branch System Construction of the County