Page 6 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.45, 2019

The experience and transformation of Chinese

librarianship 〇a ①

〇b *
RAO Quan〇
National Library of China, Beijing 100081, China

Abstract
The Chinese librarianship has developed with distinctive features in the past century and remarkable
progress has been made during this period. The Chinese library community has established a library
system of coordinating management to promote the balanced development of librarianship. Library
transformation based on digitization and information technology serves as an impetus to collaborative
identification, development and sharing of information resources. Additionally, libraries in China also
play an important role in promoting multicultural exchanges and mutual learning of civilizations. The
development of Chinese librarianship in the new era is facing new social and economic conditions.
Chinese economy has significantly improved in both quality and quantity in the context of profound
changes in the social structure. The burgeoning development of information technology has also
boosted the fully implementation of cultural development strategy of China. Chinese librarianship has
entered a period of high-quality development towards the future. The Chinese library community should
take the initiative in adapting itself to the open and diversified information provision, competition
and cooperation environment. Library practitioners should redefine the role of library in the society,
enhance the core competitiveness of library sector, and put forward innovative measures to promote
the development of librarianship in the new era. Libraries should safeguard the new development of
diversified civilizations in the digital civilization era, build up the new ecology of information service
in the open and sharing economy era, as well as develop new spaces for cultural experience in a
moderately prosperous society.

Keywords
Library, Cultural confidence, Transformation, Digital civilization, Information ecology, Cultural space

Library is an important social cultural and educational institution. The modern era has witnessed
strong support and funding from state governments and non-governmental sectors worldwide in
building and developing libraries. The library community is playing an increasingly important role
in the preservation and inheritance of human civilizations and memories, in the communication
and dissemination of knowledge and information, in the innovation and progress of the economy
and society, as well as in the mutual learning of diversified civilizations.The contemporary
international economy and society is featured with such new trends as multi-polarization,
globalization, as well as IT-driven and diversified development. The constantly changing social

① This article is the keynote reports 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 RAO Quan, Email: syrq@nlc.cn