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The
National Library of China.
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Libraries
A network
of libraries has been formed nationwide, including public libraries,
university or college libraries, scientific research institution
libraries or reading rooms, trade union libraries, and those attached
to government organizations, army units, primary or secondary schools,
townships, enterprises, and local communities. At the end of 1999,
China had 2,769 public libraries above the county level, over 1,100
university or college libraries, more than 8,000 medium-or large-scale
scientific research institution libraries, and many primary and
secondary school libraries and trade union libraries as well. The
National Library of China is the largest library in Asia.
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In the past
few years, the conditions of China’s libraries have been greatly
improved. Many libraries have been built or extended, and others
are to be rebuilt. Modern science and technology, such as computers,
microfiche, reading machines, duplicators and audio-visual aids
are now available in some libraries. As places for collecting, sorting,
storing and transmitting documentary information, libraries are
increasingly playing an important role in China’s socialist construction.
Libraries at all levels have prolonged opening hours, adopted the
open-shelf policy, increased the numbers of reading desks, expanded
the range of reading, and simplified check-out formalities. Exhibitions,
reports, knowledge contests, direct mail, subscription, and home-delivery
service are used to publicize and introduce library materials, and
raise the circulation rate of books and magazines. These efforts
are backed up by follow-up services, services on special topics,
manuscript editing, source indexing, information desks, and technology
market participation. In addition, the regular and spare-time education
of library science is developing vigorously, producing more librarians
and library researchers. The China Society of Library Science, which
was set up in 1979, and societies of library science established
later in different regions, have done a great deal to improve research
into the theory and practice of library science. Moreover, libraries
have markedly developed exchanges with their counterparts abroad
in recent years.
In
April 2000, the “China Digital Library” project entered its all-out
construction phase. The project will witness the establishment of
its structure, the drafting of a plan for its implementation, research
into the norms and applications concerning the digital library and
into the construction of digital library resources, study of intellectual
property rights and key technical problems during the construction
of the digital library, and the construction of a sample digital library. |
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