Libraries and Librarianship in China

Citation

Zengzhi, S. (1999), "Libraries and Librarianship in China", Asian Libraries, Vol. 8 No. 9, pp. 362-363. https://doi.org/10.1108/al.1999.8.9.362.9

This work of 11 chapters can be grouped into three parts. The first contains three chapters on historical development, legislation, administration and organisation. These chapters analyse the historical and organisational context of Chinese libraries, particularly in terms of political ideology, and also social, cultural and economic forces. Until the nineteenth century there had been no modern libraries in China because of long‐standing feudal ideas that limited collections of books to the imperial household and the privileged classes. The principal functions of these libraries was to establish and examine feudal doctrines for the ruling classes.

With the advent of modern science and democratic ideals in China, Chinese libraries began to evolve from these traditional royal depositories into modern collections for greater numbers of people. They changed their functions from imperial tools to a means of disseminating information and knowledge for the public. These early chapters trace this development through the period of Japan’s invasion, the ensuing civil war, the Cultural Revolution and the introduction of the market economy in the 1990s. There is detailed description of the functions, activities and organisations of Chinese libraries in these different eras.

The second part, consisting of four chapters, covers national libraries, public libraries, academic and school libraries, special research libraries. Each chapter briefly introduces the organisation of the different types of libraries, describes their historical development, collections and automation, functions, objectives, organisation, staff and services. Especially useful are the statistical details derived from both primary and secondary sources.

The final part (three chapters) covers bibliographic control and services, library and information science education, library and information automation. These chapters emphasise the scientific approach to administration and organisation of library services, particularly after the introduction of the Four Modernisations in 1978. Since that time, Chinese librarianship has taken into account Western developments and international standards for library and information services, including electronic information transfer and the introduction of information technology. There has also been greater emphasis on the modernisation of education for librarians and information professionals. The author points out that, although many problems remain to be solved, Chinese librarianship has undergone unprecedented development in recent years.

There is also a three‐page conclusion, two helpful appendixes (acronyms and English translations of Chinese names), a bibliography and an index. Throughout the chapters there is a considerable amount of reliable data on events, institutions and services in the information sector. These data have been collected from both Chinese and Western sources, especially well‐known professional journals, books and official documents. However, there are some unfortunate gaps in the data; for instance, there is no reference in the chapter on professional education to the work by Wu Guangwei and Zheng Lili, Education for Librarianship in China (Mansell, 1997, London). Also, the author is good at presenting detail, but this would have benefitted from more intensive critical analysis in light of her obvious breadth of knowledge. Perhaps the forthcoming work by Gong and Gorman, Libraries and Information Services in China (Scarecrow, 1999) will provide this analysis.

Despite this shortcoming, this work should be of value to those interested in comparative librarianship, libraries and information services in China, and Asian institutional studies.