Page 64 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 43

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

University. Up to 1990, East China Normal University, Nanjing University, National Science
Library of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University and other institutions had gained
the approval and set up master degree programs in Library Science in succession. At the approval
of Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, Peking University and Wuhan University
got the right to confer doctoral degrees in Library Science and information science in 1990,
followed by Nanjing University and National Science Library of Chinese Academy of Sciences.
In 2000, the Committee approved Wuhan University and Peking University as the units conferring
doctoral degree in library, information and archive management. In 2003, Peking University,
Wuhan University and Renmin University of China were approved to establish post-doc stations.
By the end of 2011, there had been 30 undergraduate programs, 55 master’s programs, and 9
doctoral programs in terms of Library Science in our country (Library Society of China, 2014).
In addition to the general higher education, different types of continuing education and in-service
education develop rapidly as well. A relatively complete system of Library Science education has
been formed in China, which is multi-level and multi-type, from undergraduate, graduate, doctoral
to post-doc education.
Issued in July 2010, the Outline of China’s National Plan for Medium and Long-Term Education
Reform and Development (2010-2020) states that, major reforms should be made to the system
of postgraduate education in our country. Besides the academic degrees of a specific science, the
professional degrees should share equal significance as well. The postgraduate education of these
professional degrees should be promoted in an accelerative manner, with great efforts put into
the cultivation of interdisciplinary talents and practical professionals. In 2011, universities and
colleges began the enrollment of postgraduate majoring in Library and Information Science. By
2016, 31 universities and colleges had attained the right to confer master degrees in Library and
Information Science (C.F. Chen, Y. Cheng, & L. Si, 2017). The transformation of the postgraduate
educational system is of great significance for LSE. It helps the postgraduate education of Library
Science cater to a broader range of information professions, overcome the long existing limitation
that the disciplinary background of students lacks diversity, and realize the effective linkage and
integration between LSE and modern library and information professions.
The reform of LSE system not only meets the needs of its own development but also results from
all these factors, including social politics, economy and culture.

4.2.3 The influence on the content of LSE
The teaching content should keep pace with the times, which is the inherent requirement for
education adapting to the changing social environment. To comply with the development of the
times, LSE carries out reform in its content, which is shown in the following three aspects.
The first is the change of curriculum. Discussions on how to reform curriculum and teaching
content of Library Science were hosted and carried out by Library Society of China, the Joint
Meeting of Directors of Departments of Library Science, and the Guiding Committee of LSE