Page 41 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019

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

Library transformation in the post-knowledge service

era

〇a ∗
KE Ping & ZOU Jinhui
Department of Information Resources Management, Business School, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071, China

Abstract
The transformation is not only the main characteristic of the contemporary librarianship, but also the
focus of the theoretical research of the library science. At present, the library transformation is in the
post-knowledge service era. In such an era, innovation has become the norm, and transformation has
become a topic for discussion. Libraries need to take the initiative to transform. Library transformation
is a system. In addition to the profound influence of social environment and industry environment
beyond the system, external and internal driving forces exist, which form a joint force to promote the
transformation and development of the library. In the post-knowledge service-era, library transformation
is composed of four elements: space, resources, services and management. The overall transformation,
which is related to the target orientation of the next generation of libraries, is the result of the
transformation of the four elements. In the post-knowledge service era, the transformation of libraries
not only needs to solve problems in internal and external principles, but also problems in concepts, key
elements and path.

Keywords
Post-knowledge service era, Library transformation, Innovation, Space, Resources, Services,
Management

In April 2014, the American Library Association (ALA) (2014) initiated a library transformation
campaign. It established the Libraries Transforming Communities, and cooperated with the
Harwood Institute for Public Innovation to develop a library service transformation project.
In August 2018, the theme of the 84th International Federation of Library Associations and
Institutions (IFLA) (2018f) General Conference and Assembly was “Transform Libraries,
Transform Societies”. Transformation has become the main feature of the global librarianship (C.F.
Chen, Feng, & Y. Chen, 2016), and the focus of the theoretical research of the library science.
Scholars have made breakthroughs and put forward valuable ideas on this topic, such as Wu
Jianzhong’s ten hot topics of libraries (2017), who believed that “library reform” and the “third
generation library” were related to transformation. Chu Jingli and Qin Xiaoyan (2018) proposed
the transformation from “Geocentric Theory” to “Heliocentric Theory”. Zhang Xiaolin (2018)
proposed subversive changes and the post-library era. Chen Chuanfu and Chen Yi (2017) clarified
the risks of library transformations. Those papers provide new perspectives for research of the

* Correspondence should be addressed to KE Ping, Email: ke2002@nankai.edu.cn, ORCID: 0000-0003-4038-6377