Page 31 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

030
030 Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.13, 2021

[33]
library science, applied library science and comparative library science by MI Hao and others ),
which reflected the development trend of library science towards theory and application.
Under the influence of social environment, especially the different development paths of
librarianship and the discipline, the ideological system of Chinese library science is quite different
from that of western library science. The most prominent feature is that the ancient library science
was deeply influenced by Confucianism and Chinese traditional culture, while the modern library
science was greatly influenced by modern philosophical thoughts. After the founding of the
People’s Republic of China, the librarianship and library science research were led by Marxism.
It is difficult to find the core of library science from the huge ideological system, but it is also an
important issue to be dealt with.
From the above analysis of the three aspects—“practice-object-academic culture”, it can
be found that there were three levels of cognition centering on books. The first one focused on
understanding of activities after books entering the library or book collection, management and
utilization. The theory about library and librarianship was developed through abstraction to guide
practice. The second one focused on understanding of social phenomena before books entering the
library or phenomena beyond the library system such as production and dissemination. The theory
about book culture was developed through abstraction to guide the book industry and undertaking.
The third one was to put and understand books and libraries in a larger social environment of
information and knowledge. The cognition was based on the academic culture traditions that were
the root of ancient Chinese books and libraries as well as emerging research fields brought about
by expanding information and knowledge carriers in order to enhance the status and function of
library science in information and knowledge society. Abstraction of practice paved the way for
the library’s theory and practice by focusing on books and the library. Abstraction of objects laid
the foundation for the theory and practice of information undertakings including librarianship
by focusing on books and their production and dissemination. Abstraction of academic culture
clarified the origin of the library discipline by focusing on books, collation and bibliography.
With further examination of the six basic thoughts of the Chinese library science, we can find
that they share the idea of “focusing on books”. Thoughts of essential elements (books are the
first element), book culture and classification (book classification) are all based on books, which
are the foundation and starting point of library work. Thoughts of collection and utilization (book
collection and utilization), dissemination (book delivery and exchange) and reading guidance (book
reading guidance) consider books as the tool, which is the reliance of library work.
The book-centered idea is the core of the ideological system of library science in China. It is
not only the core of ancient library science but also that of modern library science, which does not
contradict the idea of putting users first. The goal of putting users first cannot be realized without
the book-centered idea. The modern library science is to achieve the unity of books and users
rather than transforming from book centered to user centered. Both are the focus instead of either.
The modern library science should develop the framework of basic elements—“books & people”,