Page 186 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 44

185
Extended English abstracts of articles published in the Chinese edition of Journal of Library Science in China 2018 Vol.44 185

comprehensive to cover all types of knowledge networks, the emergence patterns and mechanisms
of knowledge correlation based on frequency evolution help to promote research in knowledge
networks and knowledge growth, and they also benefit studies on social networks, communication
networks, transport networks, etc.

An introduction to the history of the library communication between China
and the United States in the Republic of China period: Literature review,
knowledge base and the division of historical periods

XIAO Peng〇
〇a*
The history of library communication between China and the United States in the Republic of
China period is an important topic for understanding the origin of China’s librarianship and Library
Science. It also may be of particular value in dealing with the poverty of history research in Library
Science. As a study focusing on the big picture, the article collects and analyzes related literatures
and divides them into different topics including: ① America’s influence on the Library Science
and librarianship of China; ② China’s influence on the Library Science and librarianship of the
United States; ③ Sino-American library communication on the perspective of cultural diplomacy;
④ Research on significant figures; ⑤ Other relevant research. On the foundation of literature
review, the author points out that the difficulties of this study mainly come from the complicated
clues, the numerous figures and many other unexpected macro factors involved in the historical
facts. It’s necessary to bring up a suitable analytical frame and theoretical basis for further
research. In the paper, the World-system Theory of Immanuel Wallerstein and the concept of
communications circuit developed by Robert Darnton, along with other theories and concepts from
different disciplines, are brought into the research of library communication between China and
the United States, to constructa three-layer theoretical perspective. In the meantime,fundamental
concepts such as “American Library Model” “Library Communication” “Cultural Diplomacy” and
“Professional Activity” are also discussed and defined. Guided by the theoretical perspective, at
the last part, the history of the Sino-American library communication is divided into four phases.
① Before the establishment of the Library Association of China in 1925. It is a phase when
American library model gradually accepted by Chinese. ② From 1925 to 1937, the year when
Anti-Japanese War broke out, a phase when communication activities dominated by professional
power, especially the trained librarians from both countries. ③ From 1937 to the beginning of
1943, it witnessed the transition from professional activities to cultural diplomacy in the library
communication between China and the United States,especially after 1941, when the Division
of Cultural Relationship (DCR) of the U.S. Department of State starts to focus on Asia. ④ From
1943 to 1949, it is a phase that began with Memo: Sino-American Intellectual Relations, drafted
* Correspondence should be addressed to XIAO Peng, Email: xiaop25@mail.sysu.edu.cn, ORCID: 0000-0002-6668-8122