The process of the construction of general and branch libraries is the most spectacular professional history of innovation and development during the great developing period of the public library in our country. The construction of general and branch libraries is faced with current institutional barriers. Library professionals have driven the general and branch libraries from practice to national policy by innovating,exploring,researching,summarizing,improving and publicizing,and have made a significant contribution to Chinese culture. The development of general and branch libraries has three stages,which have clear boundaries and characteristics respectively formed by one or a few landmark events. In the first stage,libraries tried to solve problems in practice of government-leading,unified loan and return,technical support,centralized management. And studies mainly introduced libraries practices without summarizing,comparing,analyzing and concluding. In the second stage,some libraries improved and reformed the construction of general and branch libraries. They expanded the scale steadily and got obvious benefits,which aroused public attention. Some libraries didnt develop well in the construction of general and branch libraries,and quite a few libraries felt hard to continue. There was great progress in studies,which solved many theoretical problems and revealed objective laws of construction of general and branch libraries. These rich research achievements not only guided the construction and improvement of general and branch libraries but also aroused significant attention of national cultural authorities. In the third stage,libraries actively participated in Creating National Level Demonstration Zones of Public Cultural Services initiated by Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Finance. Systems designing and studying helped corresponding regions establish local laws and regulations to start to build general and branch libraries,or transform the existing ones into the government-led ones. In this phase,researches emphasized resolving deep level and difficult problems,analyzing and studying various factors which are benefiting to realizing the constant development of construction of general and branch libraries from multiple perspectives. These practices and studies directly resulted in Instruction on Promoting the Construction of County General and Branch Libraries and Culture Centers made by five ministries and commissions such as the Ministry of Culture. This document will make the construction of general and branch libraries enter a new developing phase. Under this environment,this paper discusses these practices and researches and analyzes new conditions,and puts forward on several issues that should be paid close attention to on the construction of general and branch libraries. First,correctly understanding and conducting the relationship between local conditions and professional requirements. Adjusting measures to local conditions does not mean confined by regime blindly,accordingly insisting on professional requirements is not opposite to regime. The construction of general and branch libraries needs thoughts and designs,which can help libraries bypass institutional barrier to build general and branch libraries in line with professional requirements. Second,this study responds to the problems of carrying out the construction of county general and branch libraries. The aim is to make county libraries stronger and make public library service cover the countryside,which can realize the true universal and equal service and move up the main body of construction to county governments. Third,providing universal and equal service and fulfilling missions of the public library need building physical branch libraries. Some new services are organic parts and effective supplement of general and branch libraries,but not the replacement. Fourth,the service innovation of Library+ should be incorporated into the construction of general and branch libraries. The design of services should conform to public library service concepts and not generate threshold,which serves the minority other than ordinary citizens. 2 tabs. 30 refs.