Page 54 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 43

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

LSE on the society is mainly reflected through cultivating professionals for library undertakings
and related areas, as well as through creating and re-creating knowledge the society needs.
The talents cultivated by LSE demonstrate multi-dimensionally the contribution of LSE on the
society. Karl Marx pointed out that, “In order to modify the human organism, so that it may acquire
skill and handiness in a given branch of industry, and become labour-power of a special kind, a
special education or training is requisite” (Marx, 1975, p.195). As a kind of professional education,
LSE transforms, on the basis of general education, an ordinary labour into a professional one of
the library sector. Through transforming a laborer from a lower level to a higher level, LSE makes
greater contribution to the socio-economic development. From the perspective of politics, although
LSE is a kind of professional education, it needs to cultivate students to serve the country and the
society with professional knowledge and skills, and thus becomes a qualified citizen under the
current political system. Moreover, it also guides students to develop occupational values that are
in line with mainstream social ideology, and play their due roles in safeguarding social justice and
promoting social harmony. From the perspective of culture, incessantly cultivating talents for the
library undertakings is the most direct contribution that LSE makes to the society. This provides
human resources support for library undertakings in different periods of time. LSE also preserves,
identifies, selects and inherits the long-standing academic culture of Library Science, as well as
promotes the mutual exchanges, assimilation and complementation of academic culture among the
library communities of different countries and regions. Moreover, LSE cultivates a large number of
creative talents for the continued development and updates of academic culture of Library Science.
Apart from cultivating talents, LSE also creates and re-creates new knowledge to the society.
Methods for reading and research summarized by bibliography of the traditional librarianship
have benefited generations of scholars. With the advent of digitization and Internet era, theories
and methods originated from Library and Information Science, such as information organization,
information retrieval, information service, infometrics and bibliometrics, are increasingly used
in every sector of the society. LSE institutions not only are disseminator of knowledge but also
creators and re-creators of knowledge. In the creation of knowledge of Library Science, LSE
institution undoubtedly is the major force. Through teaching the knowledge generation after
generation, LSE institutions are incessantly creating new knowledge, expanding the re-creation of
knowledge, thus promoting the development and progress of the society.

2 The interaction between LSE and the society in Republican China

2.1 Social influence on LSE in Republican China

Early 20th century witnessed the origination and rapid development of modern public libraries in
China. Demands for professional librarians of the new type of libraries brought about workshops
and short-term courses on library service skills at some schools and universities.