Page 24 - JOURNAL OF LIBRARY SCIENCE IN CHINA 2018 Vol. 44

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LI Guoxin / The historical contributions of the Public Library Law of the People’s Republic of China 023

culture, carry forward revolutionary culture and develop advanced socialist culture (Article 3). The
PLL elevates the modern library idea of equity, open access and sharing, which has been advocated
since the 21st century to be legal principles (Article 33). It also provides the answers to questions
including the direction that China’s public library is going in the new era, development principles
and service aims that should be adhered to, and historical responsibilities that the public library
should bear.

3 Meeting the needs of the historical requirement proposed by the transfor-
mation of social principal contradiction in this new era

The 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China made the historical judgment that
the principal contradiction facing Chinese society has evolved into the contradiction between
unbalanced and inadequate development and the people’s ever-growing needs for a better life.
Keeping up with people’s ever-growing needs for a better life requires rich spiritual culture and
solving the problem of unbalanced and inadequate cultural provisions. The PLL responds to the
new demands on the public librarianship by the new principal contradiction from several levels.
In view of unbalanced development, the PLL prescribes the basic principle of providing support
for old revolutionary areas, ethnic minority areas, border areas and poverty-stricken areas (Article
7), assigns the task of extending public library services to grass-root areas, explicates care for
special groups such as the young, the elderly and the disabled (Article 34) and points the direction
for dealing with the issue of unbalanced development of public library services in different areas
and groups. In view of inadequate development, the PLL makes it legal responsibility for the
government above the county level to set up, guarantee and supervise public libraries. It asks
government of all levels to increase input to public librarianship (Article 4) and to construct
buildings, mobile services and self-service facilities to become a convenient public library network
that covers the urban and rural areas (Article 13). The PLL also encourages social forces to set up
public libraries and to participate in building and services (Articles 4 and 45). The PLL asks public
libraries of all levels to fulfill the principle of equity, open access and sharing by providing free
basic services, establishing online digital services and distribution systems, improving services,
setting up feedback mechanism, increasing cooperation with libraries of other types, initiating
cooperative services and supporting libraries of other types open to the public (Articles 33, 40, 42
and 48). The aim is for the public to enjoy public library services.

4 Defining legal responsibilities of the government in establishing public
libraries and in ensuring daily management

The PLL defines legal responsibilities of the government in establishing public libraries and in
ensuring daily management from three aspects.