Page 59 - Journal of Library Science in China, Vol.47, 2021

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

3.2 Library development theory

Libraries in the modern sense have been developing in China for more than a hundred years,
presenting different features in different historical stages. To study and summarize the law
and principles of librarianship and address relevant issues are the goal and task of the library
development theory. In view of the great changes in the world unseen in a century, the changes
in technology and cultural environment at home and abroad, “how to reform and transform the
library, and what is the future prospect of the library”, are issues that must be studied in the
fundamental theory of contemporary library science.
(1) The mechanism of the emergence of library
The library is the product of human society development at a certain stage. The materialist view
of history believes that “the ultimate cause and driving force of all important historical events is
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the economic development of society” , and “the production mode of material life determines the
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general process of social life, political life and spiritual life” . The fundamental theory of library
science should be guided by historical materialism, to study the social, historical and technical
reasons for the emergence of libraries, to explore the relationship between the emergence of
libraries and the exchange of human knowledge, the birth of written language and documents, and
the relationship among the emergence of libraries and social productivity and human civilization
development.
(2) The history of library development and its interaction with society
The development of Chinese and foreign libraries has roughly gone through three periods: the
long period of ancient libraries, the period of modern libraries marked by the emergence of public
libraries in the mid-19th century, and the period of modern library marked by the use of computer
after the end of World War II. Historical materialism tells us, “Human society and its components
exist in a systematic way as a whole, and when we conduct research, we should first look into the
whole picture of the research object, and then study the interaction and contradiction within the
research object, and the interaction between the research object and the external environment” .
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“Social existence determines social consciousness, and social consciousness can shape and
change social existence” . The fundamental theory of library science shall explore the social and
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historical conditions that promote the development of libraries, the different characteristics of the
development of libraries in different historical periods, how libraries interact with society in the
process of development, how the society exerts influence on the development of libraries, as well
as how the library reacts to society.
(3) Research on various types of libraries
With the development of librarianship, there emerged various types of libraries in the society.
These libraries undertake different social functions and service tasks, have different service
objects, and differ in work content and forms as well. Therefore, it is necessary to categorize and
study various types of libraries in order to grasp their features and development laws. This will