Page 51 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 43

The interaction between Library Science Education

and the society in China over the past century

〇a *
XIAO Ximing〇
School of Information Management, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China

Abstract
Library Science Education (LSE) in China has undergone almost one hundred years. This paper
discusses and explores the development of the LSE and its interaction with the society in mainly three
historical periods. On one hand, this paper analyzes the influences of the social, economic, political,
educational, cultural, and scientific and technological environments on LSE’s system, scale, thought,
mode, and content from a theoretical perspective; on the other hand, it points out that the LSE promoted
and supported the development of the society through cultivating talents and disseminating knowledge.
LSE had cultivated a number of outstanding professionals during the period of Republic of China (1911-
1949). However, due to the lack of a good interaction with the society, the development of LSE was
constrained by the social environment in this period. From 1950 to 1977, the development of the LSE
was still relatively slow in spite of the improved social environment in China. From 1978 to present,
the LSE has made remarkable contributions to the Chinese society as a result of fundamental social
changes in China. This paper proposes that, in order to establish a good interaction between the LSE
and the society in China, it is necessary to ensure the unity of self-independence and social dependence,
instrument rationality and value rationality, dynamism and stability of the LSE.

Keywords
Library Science Education, Social environment, Education system, Education thought, Education mode,
Interaction, China

The formal education of Library Science in China has a history of nearly a century, with its origin
dating back to the Boone Library School established in Wuchang in 1920. The past one hundred
years have witnessed profound social changes, during which the nation experienced successive
wars, founded the People’s Republic of China in 1949, faced up to challenges in building the new
country, and achieved great successes under the reform and opening-up policy. Library Science
Education (LSE), as a component of the entire social system, has been developing along the
progress of the times. It is not only influenced by the social changes in all aspects, but also pushes
forward social development and progress in its own way.
The nearly century-old LSE in China can be roughly divided into three periods according
to social conditions and development stages. The years from 1920 to 1949 saw the early stage
of LSE in China when LSE was established and initially developed under the turbulent social

* Correspondence should be addressed to XIAO Ximing, Email: xxmwhu2011@163.com, ORCID: 0000-0002-0715-6038