The present and future of China's National Science and Technology Library: A new paradigm of sci‐tech information resource sharing

The purpose of this case study is to explore the construction pattern and issues involved with the development of the National Science and Technology Library (NSTL) in China.

This study was conducted through an analytical evaluation of the historical development of scientific and technological information sharing among libraries and information centers and issues around construction of the NSTL.

Since the establishment of its network service system at the end of 2000, the NSTL has made rapid progress in constructing a sci‐tech information resource sharing system and offering web‐based information services to the patrons of scientific and technical communities all over China.

This paper is the first exploration that brings to the forefront the foundational background of the NSTL, the characteristics of its organizational structure, the functions of its service, and the tentative plan to increase its accessibility and usability. Symptomatic of the function of the NSTL constructing pattern will hopefully shed light not only to the reformation of the Chinese sci‐tech information management system, but also to the development of scientific digital libraries in the world.