Page 28 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

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KE Ping / Ideological system of library science in China: abstraction, core and value 027

1.3 Abstraction of academic culture: library science is rooted in academic culture and
related disciplines

Library science in China has been seeking for an effective connection between library practice
and theory. In the process of constructing the modern library science system composed of two
branches—practice and theory, on the one hand, great importance was attached to absorbing
excellent academic cultural heritage at all times and in all countries, making library science rooted
in academic culture; on the other hand, attention was paid to drawing on knowledge of relevant
disciplines to elevate constantly the academic status of library science. Thoughts of library science
in ancient China were critically inherited, and the experience and lessons of the development
of western library science were drawn purposefully, which manifested the wisdom of Chinese
librarians.
Library science in ancient China had a rich source of academic culture. “There is a proper
word—collation in ancient Chinese library knowledge system. It mainly consists of bibliography,
textual bibliography and emendation, which all take books as the research object” [24] . Library
science was bred in the fertile academic culture and grew up with collation and bibliography.
Although they were not called “library and library science”, the “cang shu lou (ancient library)
as well as collation and bibliography (library science)” did exist. Therefore, collation and
bibliography are the knowledge sources of Chinese library science, and they have the same root.
Classification in Chinese library science originated from academic and book classifications
in collation and bibliography. As early as the Han Dynasty, LIU Xiang and LIU Xin not only
organized the national collection and compiled bibliography but also created the introductory
style. They compiled Bie Lu, the earliest annotated bibliography and Qi Lue, the earliest classified
bibliography, and established the classification system with six classes and thirty-eight subclasses.
“Such a high-level bibliography with subtle organization was established more than one thousand
[25]
nine hundred years ago, which was not found in any other ancient civilization in the world” .
The establishment of classification systems from Six Classes to Four Branches of Literature,
from Seven Classes, Nine Classes to Twelve Classes was not only the achievements of collation
and bibliography but also that of library science, as classification system was always brought
forth in the process of library management and book organization. The integration of collection,
classification and catalog was the significant characteristic of the ancient library science. There
were not only classification tools and methods but also systematic classification thoughts which
were based on the academic classification, reflecting the features of the collection and the idea of
“distinguishing to show the scholarship, researching to define the origin.” “Classification makes
knowledge self-evident.” The idea of classification was earlier than that of the West, and more
advanced than western’s idea of classification as “tools”. Modern western classification tools were
not adopted immediately after they were introduced to China, because “foreign methods” were
not fit for Chinese academic and cultural environment and could not adapt to the Chinese book