Page 20 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019

RAO Quan / The experience and transformation of Chinese librarianship 019

models for the commercial development and application of collection resource data; and support
enterprises to develop collection-based third-party data mining services.
Third, we shall take measures to develop new space for cultural experience in a moderately
prosperous society.
The library is not only a place for people to read, learn, and acquire knowledge, but also carries
important functions such as social interaction, emotional experience, cultural leisure, and so on. It
undertakes the mission of “providing opportunities for personal creative development”, “stimulating
the imagination and creativity of children and young people” (A working group chaired by Philip
Gill on behalf of the section of public libraries, 2002), as well as fostering personal and social
innovation and development, and preserving, inheriting and promoting regional culture. As the
public obtain resources and services at libraries, they also expect to have a better emotional
experience. We shall constantly explore and enrich the cultural atmosphere of library space, and
actively enhance its role in building the links among people, between people and society, between
people and civilization, between people and knowledge, and between people and the future. Only
in so doing, can libraries define its unique role and value in the new social context.
Recent years have witnessed great changes in the architectural concepts, space design, and
functional layout of libraries around the world. Many new libraries have impressed the public in
terms of their architectural art, spatial characteristics, and cultural experience, and become urban
landmarks and cultural centers in the local regions. The NLC has opened a special space within
the library premise for a national classics museum, aiming at offering the public to appreciate
the beauty of classics at close range. Combing with local cultural features, the Hangzhou Library
builds thematic branches of music, Buddhism, chess school, leisure life, science and technology, to
fully display the diversity of Hangzhou culture. The Library of Tianjin Binhai New Area Cultural
Center is distinctive in its interior designs named “Eye of the Sea” and “Diligence: The path to
success”, which has a strong visual impact on visitors. The Shanghai Jiaotong University Library,
Wuhan University Library, Shanghai Library, Changsha Library, Chengdu Library, etc. have
successively opened up maker space of different styles. The Guangzhou Library presents the local
culture by means of various services, such as the Guangzhou Humanities Section, the Genealogy
Inquiry Center, the “Guangzhou Encyclopedia” Research Center, and the Permanent Exhibition of
Guangzhou Intangible Cultural Heritage.
In the future, libraries should further strengthen social education functions and build new cultural
space. First, we shall not only build the library as a place where people and books encounter,
but also as a place where people talk to their minds, perceive and experience different cultures,
as well as exchange ideas and share knowledge with others. Second, support for innovation and
creation activities should still be one of the key concerns of public library space redesigning. We
should be committed to promoting the popularization of modern knowledge tools and technical
methods, helping people continuously improve their ability to obtain and use information, and
solve problems with creativity, especially with regard to young people’s innovative thinking.