Page 11 - Journal of Library Science in China 2020 Vol.46

010 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.12, 2020

Shenzhen Library were acclaimed by the public and scholars. Some new libraries such as the
Ningbo Library and the Binhai Cultural Center in Tianjin remodeled library space innovatively.
Some libraries including the Zhejiang Library and the Hangzhou Library cooperated with social
forces to build theme libraries to attract more people to visit and utilize the library.
On 23rd April, 2019, the NLC made the first attempt to launch the Serve Nationwide Reading
and Create Good Life—4·23 Nationwide Reading Initiative with the Library Society of China. 3,309
libraries responded actively and sponsored activities such as city-wide reading, scanning QR code
and reading, reading competition of traditional Chinese classics and Spoken English shows. It was
a successful activity that mobilized the forces of the library community, helping to shape the image
of the industry and serve the public, which was favorably received.

1.5 Digital and network construction facilitating the transformation of librarianship

As information technology developed rapidly, public libraries of all levels expanded remote
network service, boosted the construction of digital reading facilities, enriched digital resources
and innovated digital service modes through various media channels such as the Internet, mobile
telecommunication network, broadcast network, Weibo and WeChat, which enabled the public to
access library reading service without the restriction of time and space. In view of service content,
digital resources were more abundant. Especially the cooperative development and sharing of
resources increased greatly the number of digital resource. As of the end of 2018, nearly 270
million volumes of electronic books were shared by public libraries in China, increasing by 74.39
million volumes and 38% than that in 2015 (Library Society of China & National Library of
China, 2020). In view of service channels, 414 local stations of mobile reading platforms were
built by the NLC and public libraries of all levels to provide mobile reading service . In respect of
〇a ①
means of service, self-service and intelligent service systems were popularized. Public libraries in
Chongqing and Zhejiang explored to apply emerging technologies such as virtual reality to provide
immersive reading space. Public libraries in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Anhui made use of
big data to release reading reports which analyzed the use of resources and service effect based on
service data to find users’ needs and optimize services.
According to the requirements of the leading Party group of the Ministry of Culture and
Tourism, the NLC cooperated with the Development Center of State Public Culture of the Ministry
of Culture and Tourism to set up the coordination mechanism to promote the innovative and
integrative development of the public digital cultural project which built on the launch of the
national cultural information sharing project, the digital library promotion project and the public
electronic reading rooms program. The project gained support from public libraries of all levels,
especially the provincial public libraries. Up to now the project has accomplished the uniform

① Data from statistical information of the NLC in 2019.