Page 58 - Journal of Library Science in China 2020 Vol.46

LI Jingxia & LI Zhenwu / Inquiring into and reflecting on library professionalism in the new era: 057
Taking Wuhan public libraries’ anti-pandemic practice as an example

2.3 Professional resources: Facilitating information supply and reading

Compared with other public cultural institutions like cultural centers and museums, the distinctive
feature of libraries is their collection of information resources such as books, newspapers, audios
and videos and thorough understanding of these resources. Although the book-centered era has
passed by, the close relationship between libraries and information resources will not be changed.
The real change is in that we have more definite purposes in making use of information resources
and emphasize on how to explore information resources for users. The professionalism of libraries
in Wuhan in information exploration and utilization was revealed from two aspects. The first was
to sift out excellent information and carry out “anti-pandemic in information”. The second was to
promote reading for spiritual release.
In the past few months, rumors about the pandemic, international dispute, medicine and vaccine
spread for various reasons, which not only caused public panic but also had an impact on the
already stressful social order. In such circumstances, we could not expect that the “rumor stops at
the wise”. In addition to medical anti-pandemic, there was another battle in the information field
(“Commentary丨Fighting the ‘information pandemic’ cannot all rely on ‘rumors stop at the wise’”,
2020). As early as at the end of January 2020, the Wuhan Library found sensitively that the “anti-
pandemic in information” had begun. After information searching, staff of the library contacted
the Guangdong Science and Technology Press, the copyright owner of the book New Coronavirus
Infection Protection.With support of the publisher, the electronic format of the book was released
on the WeChat official account on January 25, which was only two days after the book was printed
(“Guangdong Science and Technology Press, New coronavirus infection protection publication
documentary”, 2020). After that, the Wuhan Library and libraries in districts issued authoritative
health information by means of lectures, contests, and The Manual of the COVID-19 Prevention,
The Manual of the COVID-19 Prevention and Protection, 28 Questions on the COVID-19
Prevention.
“To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge”. Reading gives strength to
the lonely and the helpless. Libraries and librarians are the important sources of the strength. On
the one hand, libraries in Wuhan cooperated with other libraries, bookstores and institutions in
other cities to select high-quality books. Readable and functional books were distributed to books
corners in makeshift hospitals and other places. On the other hand, librarians tried to satisfy the
various reading demands of users in a professional manner. The Jianghan District Library set up
book corners in the makeshift hospitals in the Jianghan Economic Development Zone and hotels
for medical workers who came to aid Wuhan from Shaanxi, Shanghai and Beijing, providing
nearly 1,000 books. Considering the demands of special groups and different ages, books in
home life, medical knowledge, health and fitness, mental health and classical literature were
selected.