Page 48 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019
P. 48

KE Ping & ZOU Jinhui / Library transformation in the post-knowledge service era  047


               demands are the key driving forces determining whether a library can exist and whether it can
               transform.


               2.3  Innovation drive


               Both technology drive and demands drive are external driving forces of the library transformation,
               and the internal driving force lies in innovation drive. If the external driving forces are indirect and
               profound, the internal driving force is direct and more profound.
                 Joseph Schumpeter, the economist, initially established the economics of innovation, which
               regarded innovation as the engine of economic development and “Constructive Destruction”
               (You, 2003, p.152). In the era of information service, librarians started a series of innovations,
               which changed the traditional library service and management. In the pre-knowledge service
               era, innovation has become a normal state. Continuous innovation drives library reforms, such
               as business process reform, personnel distribution system reform, institutional restructuring,
               management system reform and system innovation, and so on. In the post-knowledge service era,
               the strengthened innovation drive becomes a kind of vitality embedded in every cell of the library
               organism, and the engine and source of power of the transformation.


               3  From element transformation to overall transformation


               Transformation is not only a combined result of internal and external driving forces, but also
               a profound revolution and a complex process of disruptive innovations and changes. That is
               why currently the library is in transition, which started with the international “Redefining
               the Library” in the early 21st century. In fact, the so-called redefining is the beginning of the
               transformation of various elements of the library. Internationally, library elements have already
               started to change. For example, Smart Libraries for Tomorrow Conference held in Singapore
               in 2016 advocated library subversion and innovation (Library Association of Singapore, 2018),
               and Singapore smart library put forward four elements that needed to be changed: revamp of
               physical library spaces, develop services for target edge groups, upgrade of digital infrastructure
               and re-skilling staff (Kang, Upadhya, & NLB, 2018). Liu Ziheng and Tu Zhifang (2017)
               discussed the new development form of the academic library from the perspective of space,
               resources and service. Si Li and Zeng Yueliang (2018) proposed to analyze the developmental
               trend of university libraries in the transition period from four dimensions of environment, space,
               resources and service. Based on the three pillars of library resources, services and management
               by the author (Ke, 2006b), this study adds spatial elements, and proposes that the library
               transformation in the post-knowledge service era consists of four elements: space, resources,
               service and management (see Table 2).
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