Page 29 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019

028 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.11, 2019

The development of library science in China in an

international perspective 〇a〇 ①

〇b *
CHENG Huanwen〇 & LIU Jiaqin
School of Information Management, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510006, China

Abstract
This article describes the development of the internationalization of Chinese library science and the
Chinization of international library science from an international perspective based on the historical
research methodology. The development of Chinese library science in the past one hundred years is
mainly embodied in the Chinization of international standards, technologies and ideology. This article
suggests that the Chinese library science research should make the world hear its voice, spread Chinese
ideas, promote innovations in Chinese library community and help to bolster the development of global
librarianship.

Keywords
Library science in China, International perspective, Academic ideology, Library discipline

The development of the library science in China can be elaborated from multiple perspectives.
The first may be from the Chinese perspective to observe the development and changes of the
library science at home. The second is from the global perspective to observe the development and
changes of the position and influence of the Chinese library science in the world. The third is from
the international perspective to observe the relationship between the development and changes
of the library science in China and that in other countries. This article attempts to conclude the
development of the library science in China from an international perspective, in which the definite
article “an” in the title underlines that this article is only one perspective instead of the summary
and deduction of all the international perspectives of the scholars. It means that this article is only
the expression of the author’s personal opinions from the international perspective. Different
scholars may have different understandings of the same theme from different aspects.

1 Mark of the library science becoming a discipline

The essential issue for explaining the development of the library science in China is to clarify
what is the mark of the library science becoming a discipline. If not, it is not clear when the library

① This article is a keynote speech delivered at the International Symposium on “Libraries · Keeping Pace with the Times” held on
September 9, 2019 to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the National Library of China.
* Correspondence should be addressed to CHENG Huanwen, Email: huanwen@mail.sysu.edu.cn, ORCID: 0000-0003-0703-1187