Page 59 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019

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

Eight major problems in the development of the

librarianship in China

〇a *
YE Jiyuan〇
School of Information Management, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China

Abstract
In order to clarify the new task of the new era, new technology and new demand for the present Chinese
librarianship, we should recognize the general direction of the development of the librarianship. This
article puts forward eight major problems that affect the work of the library and the education and
research of the library science: how to deal with the opportunities and challenges; how to improve the
legal system of the library; how to deal with the application of new technology; how to strengthen the
service capacity; how to improve the quality of library work; how to promote the joint construction
and sharing of information resources in the crossing systems and interdepartmental libraries; how to
mobilize social forces to run the library and how to strengthen the education and research of library
science. This paper analyzes these problems by using the method of literature analysis and historical
research. It was found that we should promote the sustainable development of the librarianship in
accord with law, utilize new technologies to help to fulfill the core values and functions of the library,
improve the service capabilities and quality of libraries as well as the level of the joint construction and
sharing of information resources, tie up the connection and interaction among libraries and all levels of
society, stick to the core content of the library science, and expand the core principles to the relevant
and new information fields in time. Through the research and teaching of professional problems, the
professionals of the library and related departments should be trained to promote the librarianship
steadily.

Keywords
Librarianship, Education of library science, Research of library science

0 Introduction

As the product of human civilization, the library should develop with the progress of civilization.
Nowadays in China, the economy has gained rapid growth, but people are still wondering whether
the library would attain corresponding development. Even library professionals are noncommittal
and some even think that the library would disappear in the near future with the wide application
of artificial intelligence. However, there are also professionals who believe that the Chinese
librarianship is undergoing unprecedented development despite current transition difficulties. All
of these invoke a set of questions. What is the nature of the library? What is its relationship with
social development? How to treat judiciously the functions of new technologies on the library?
* Correspondence should be addressed to YE Jiyuan, Email: yejiyuan@nju.edu.cn, ORCID: 0000-0002-4232-8923