Page 59 - Journal of Library Science in China 2020 Vol.46

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

3 Observation: The professionalism of libraries in China and worldwide

The second part replays the actions of libraries in Wuhan and attempts to analyze the
professionalism. The outbreak of the COVID-19 had a great influence on library work. But
from the aforementioned practice, we are delighted to find that librarians in the new era have
preliminarily developed new professional literacy and abilities. However, the above observation
is restricted in Wuhan. Are the professional connotations of libraries in the world demonstrated in
the anti-pandemic practice the same with libraries in Wuhan? Is that helpful for us to answer the
question raised in the first part? Accordingly, this part further broadens the scope of observation
to include the fight against the pandemic in libraries in the world to reveal the libraries’
professionalism.

3.1 Professionalism in terms of responsiveness

At the end of January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) gave warnings of
the highest level, and declared the COVID-19 pandemic as “public health emergency of
international concern.” It becomes the common mission of the global library community to
fight against the pandemic. In such circumstances, the library community reacted rapidly.
Analyzing reports submitted by committees of academic library services of 29 provinces,
autonomous regions and municipalities, WANG, ZHOU, L. CHEN, & J.L. CHEN (2020)
concluded that one of the main characteristics of Chinese academic libraries in anti-pandemic
services was “responsive to the overall planning and participating actively in the prevention
and control”. Libraries set up work groups or made emergency plans in the first place to
fulfill the request of XI Jinping, General Secretary—“strengthening confidence and solidarity,
taking a science-based approach and targeted measures”. In the global context, IFLA, library
associations and libraries of all levels and types responded to the appeal to fight against
the COVID-19 and took proactive actions. As the IFLA President and Secretary General
articulated, “faced with an uncertain future, we are very proud of the way the library field is
responding and know that we have the resilience, creativity and sense of service to continue to
do the best possible for the communities that rely on us in these difficult times” (“COVID-19
and the global library field”, 2020).

3.2 Professionalism in terms of resource availability

It is not only the experience of libraries in Wuhan, but also the consensus of the global library
field to use information and reading as weapons to fight against the pandemic. FU Ping surveyed
services related to the COVID-19 in professional libraries, public libraries, special libraries and
academic libraries in the United States. He suggested that libraries played the role of “spreading