Memorabilia 2004
January
On January 1, the opening ceremony of Review Exhibitions of the 200 Issues of the National
Library of China Wenjin Forum was held at our Branch Library. Well-known scholar Li Yining,
Zhou Heng, Pang Pu, our Director Ren Jiyu,, deputy director Zhang Yanbo, deputy secretary of
the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang, Chen Li and Zhang Xiaoxing attended
the opening ceremony. Through hundreds of vivid photos, the exhibition reviewed the process of
public cultural education our library had been dedicated to since 1950’s and comprehensively
displayed the achievements of Wenjin Forum in the past three years.
On January 7, the ceremony celebrating the first publication of the series Deng Wei’s Dairy: Eight
Year s, written by Chinese well-known photographer and world celebrity portrait photograph
artiest Deng Wei, was held at the Chinese People‘s Association for Friendship with Foreign
Countries. At the ceremony celebrating the first publication, Deng Wei presented this set of books
and Deng Wei’s Photographic Works Selection (hardback) to our library, and our library received
the presented book and granted honorary certificate to Deng Wei.
On January 13, the Rescue Project of Chinese Rare Books Work Meeting was held in Beijing, the
leaders and experts of the Rescue Project of Chinese Rare Books Planning Steering Committee
and Rescue Project of Chinese Rare Books Compilation and Publication Committee participated
the meeting and visited parts of finished rescued rare book samples and made a high evaluation to
the project.
On January 15 to 16, Retired Leader and United Front Personnel Spring Festival Gathering 2004
was held at the NLC Concert Hall, director Ren Jiyu, Secretary of the Party Committee and
deputy director Zhan Furui, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang
Yafang, deputy director Chen Li and Zhang Xiaoxing attendedthe Spring Festival Gathering and gave new year’s wishes to all retired leaders and united front personnel. On the eve of the Spring
Festival, our library leaders also visited some retired senior directors of the Library and parts of
destitute staff.
On January 17, the Work Summary and Commendation Meeting of Logistical Service Center
2003 was held at our staff dining hall and all staff of the Logistical Service Center participated in
the meeting. The meeting summarized the work of Logistical Service Center in 2003, meanwhile,
rewarded and granted honorary certificates to advanced group and individuals of 2003.
On January 22, the ceremony that National Library of China presented books to Beijing
Demonstration Child Village and Beijing Bureau of Reeducation through Labor Administration was held at the Zizhu Hall of our library. Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture Zhou Heping, our Deputy Director Zhang Yanbo, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director
Zhang Yafang, deputy director Chen Li, director of Beijing Demonstration Children’s Village
Zhang Shuqin, director of Division of Education of Beijing Bureau of Reeducation through Labor
Administration Luo Guiling and representatives of our library attended the presentation ceremony.
The vast majority of the books of this presentation were donated by our staff, 10,634 copies in total. Hence, theSpring Festival activity of the National Library of China 2004 started.
February
On February 3, our library held the library cataloguing work meeting in No. 313 Meeting Room.
The meeting made fully discussions on how to solve the current problems existing in the cataloguing of our library, how to heighten the bibliographic data quality, ensuring the integrity and standard of the bibliographic data, meanwhile, analyzed the existing problems and causes exiting in the process of our library bibliographic data compilation. The meeting was an important meeting targeting the cataloguing work quality problem of our library in recent years and played a role in improving the cataloguing data quality further.
On February 8, our library held the Income Increase and Expenditure Decrease work meeting. The directors of departments and divisions, focusing on the topics of Income Increase and Expenditure
Decrease, combing the practical situations of their own departments and divisions, we pooled the wisdom and efforts of everyone, suggested ways and means, proposed many good suggestions and opinions on aspects of logistical guarantee, operational construction, cultural exchange and cultural activity. They suggested conducting promotion and education of practicing economy within the library, so that the staff fully realized that saving was not only the traditional virtues of
Chinese nation but also had a connection with the development of the cause of our library and the vital interests of the staff.
On February 11, the ceremony of presenting books to the National Library of China from
Hungary's Ministry of Culture was held at our library. Mr. H.E. Mihaly Bayer, ambassador of
Hungary to China, Mr. Odze Gyorgy, Culture Counselor of Embassy of Hungary in China,
Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, director of the Acquisitions and
Cataloguing Department Gu Ben and parts of the staff of our library attended the book presentation ceremony. This time, Hungary's Ministry of Culture entrusted its Embassy in China to present 56 copies of book to the National Library of China, the contents of which involved the history and cultural tradition of Hungary, and Zhan Furui, on behalf of the National Library of
China, received the presented book and issued honorary certificate to the Ambassador of Hungary in China.
On February 17, the Library Collected Tangut Document Restoration Exhibition opened at the Library
Collected Treasure Display Room. The exhibition displayed precious collections, and part of the achievements of restoring Tangut documents by our library. The exhibition closed on April 20.
That same day, our library held Exchange Meeting of Preservation and Conservation of Cultural
Heritage in No. 313 Room of our library, the main topics discussed by the meeting was how to
carry out the preservation and conversation of precious collections. 15 leaders and experts that
were responsible for the document preservation and restoration from the National Palace Museum,
the National Museum of China, Institute of Cultural Relics Preservation, First Historical Archives
of China, Central Archives, the Capital Library, the Library of Peking University, attended the meeting, and NLC deputy director Chen Li and director of the Rare Books & Special Collection
Department Zhang Zhiqing, deputy director Su Pinhong and relevant personnel attended the
meeting as well.
From February 19 to February 21, our library held Middle Leader and Party Branch Secretary
Work Meeting 2004. Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, deputy director Zhang Yanbo, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang, deputy director Chen Li and Zhang Xiaoxing and all middle leaders attended the meeting. Each department and division summarized the work of 2003 respectively and made discussions on how to finish 2004 work tasks, how to implement the strategic policies of prospering our library by talented staff, strengthening our library with advanced technologies and running our library with good services proposed by the library leading group, watched the video of the lecture of
Requirements of New Era to Administrators made by the professor Li Yining, the dean of
Guanghua School of Management of Peking University and talked about how to improve the management quality of our administrators in the new times. Zhan Furui, on behalf of the library leading group, made a speech of Facing opportunity and challenge, implementing three developing strategies and completely boosting the process of modernization and internationalization of our library.
March
On March 1, the Staff Conference of National Library of China 2004 was held in the Jiayantang
Hall. Director Ren Jiyu, director and Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan
Furui, deputy director Zhang Yanbo, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director
Zhang Yafang, deputy director Chen Li, as well as the members of the Library Party Committee Li
Zhizhong, Guo Youling and Fu Ping attended the meeting, and all staff of the library, excluding the staff on duty, participated in the meeting. In the meeting, The NLC Decision on Commending
Good-quality Service Posts and Good-quality Service Individuals in 2003 was announced by Chen
Li and National Library of China rewards of the NLC from the outside of the library 2003 were disclosed by Zhang Yafang; awarded individuals and representatives were granted the titles of Good-quality Service Post and Good-quality Service Individuals by Zhou Heping and the library leaders. Later, Zhan Furui made a brief review and conclusion about our library 2003 work, mainly formulated the trend faced by our library and the strategic policies of prospering our library by talented staff, strengthening our library with advanced technologies, and running our library with good services and deployed the key work of 2004. In a speech, Ren Jiyu required that the middle leaders should be good at discover, cultivate and use talents and retain talents with the cause. He stressed that we should strengthen the construction of the basic business, especially the reader service work. Also, in a speech, Zhou Heping analyzed the faced situation and existed pressure by our library and proposed three points of hope: firstly, we strengthen the basic operation construction; secondly, we strengthened the talent construction; thirdly, we strengthened the system and mechanism construction.
From March 3 to 15, the 2nd Session of the 10th National People’s Congress and the Second
Session of the 10th Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee were held in Beijing successively. During the period of the Two Sessions, our library provided good-quality and high-efficiency reference services for participating in and discussing government and political affairs to the representatives by various means, which were welcomed and appraised by the representatives and committee members of the Two Sessions. Up to March 15, our work staff provided on-site services for 24 person-times in the Two Sessions at the Great Hall of the People; issued three titles of over 5,000 copies of our library’s letter to the representatives of the Two
Sessions and our library service guide; finished 64 reference tasks for Two Sessions’ representatives and committee members, received 15 person-times visitors, finished 21 person-times telephone consultations, issued 12 readers’ cards and won 3 times written or oral appraises of the Two Sessions representatives.
In this month, our library continued to launch some measures of serving youngsters. For instance, the establishment of the National Library of China Junior Children Visit Open Day, we received students in middle and primary schools to visit the National Library of China on Monday of the first week of every month as to cultivate the library sense of the youngsters; provided document services to middle schools; carried out lectures and trainings facing the minor; carried out network services by automation means; continued to work to the Juvenile and Children's Reading Room in the NLC Branch Libr ary.
April
On April 5, our library welcomed the first group of parts of students of No. 8 Middle School during school days. This was one of the service measures for the minor launched successively by our library to face the new trend and new requirement of strengthening and improving the minor moral cultivation construction. The rest were: providing document services to the middle schools, holding lectures and trainings for the minor and establishing the Juvenile and Children's Multimedia Reading
Room for the middle and primary schools at the Branch Library.
On April 23, the International Seminar on Sogdian in China—New Explore of History, Archeology and Language, sponsored by the National Library of China, Research Center of Ancient Chinese
History, Peking University, UMR Civilisation Chinoise (EPHE-CNRS), UMR Archéologie d'Orient et d'Occident, ENS-CNRS, the École française d'Extrême-Orient (EFEO), the Culture Department of the
French Embassy in China, was held at our library and over 70 domestic and overseas scholars participated in the seminar. That same day, From Samarkand to Chang’an—Cultural Heritage of
Sogdian in China exhibition was held at the Display Room of Library Collected Treasure. The 7 pieces of Dunhuang Manuscripts, 5 copies (3 titles) of Qing Dynasty documents, 24 pieces of rubbings in late Qing Dynasty, 10 pieces of new rubbings and 6 pieces of old pictures, which were the precious documents that were rare to see, were exhibited.
That same day, Advocacy of Public Reading, Construction of Reading Society—World Reading
Day, which was sponsored by the Steering Group of the National Knowledge Engineering and the
Ministry of Culture and organized by the Library Society of China and the National Library of
China, was held grandly at the Wenjin Square of our library. The Director of Department of
Society, Culture, Library of the Ministry of Culture Zhang Xu, Culture Officer of The UNESCO
Beijing Office Gao Qiaoxiao made speeches, respectively. And the Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui read the 4.23 World Reading Day initial written proposal of the Advocacy of Public Reading and the Joint Construction of Literary China, initiated the society to participate in the grand reading activity. Later, the well-known composer Qiao Yu and well-known host Ju Ping presented the Qi Yu Article Collection and Read Fairy Tale
Accompanied by Sister Ju Ping to our library, and Zhan Furui, on behalf of the National Library of
China, accepted the presented books and granted honorary certificates to them. Finally, Vice
Chairman of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Vice Chairman of Chinese
Technology Association Wang Xuan and the former assistant minister of the Ministry of Culture
Lv Zhixian unveiled the logo of Public Reading. The students and teachers from Peking University,
Minzu University of China, Art College of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army and Beijing
University of Posts & Telecommunications stood in squad, and Cao Can and Ju Ping hosted the reading of the chapters of On Reading by Gorky. Gao Hongbo, Zhang Fangsheng, Fang Ming and
Ding Jiali read the fine essays about reading written by Maugham, Lin Yutang, Tagore and Bacon on the stage. And over 20 children in the kindergarten at the age of six on average read the
Handclap Reading Song and promoted the atmosphere up to the climax.
May
On May 1, in order to richen the festival cultural life and fully take advantage of the function of the social education and cultural transmission of the National Library of China, during the May
Day Holiday, our library took the services for the minor as the key of our service work, arranged and received the minor to visit, played video programs for the minor for free, held colorful activities, such as the knowledge lectures for the parents and their children, receiving good social effects. According to the statistics, during the May Day Holiday, we received the readers of 76,476 person-times, including the minor of 707 person-times.
On May 11, the First Civil Disabled People Skill Wor ks Exhibition, jointly held by the Branch
Library of the National Library of China and Beijing Huitianyu Information Consultation Centre, opened at the Academic Activity West Hall of the Branch Library. Hundreds of paintings, calligraphy, paper cutting, weaving, sculpture, cross-stitch embroidery and hand-made creature works were made by disabled people. The works’ concept design was elaborate and their means of artistic expression was exquisite, displaying the strong will of the disabled people. The exhibition attracted the wide attention of the society and received good effects.
From May 15 to 21, in order to coordinate with Technological Activity Week and Beijing
Technological Week 2004, meanwhile, combine the forms and characteristics of the service work of our library, our library planned a series of promotion activities. The activities included hanging a banner of Beijing Technological Week 2004 and large slogans of People-Oriented Science and
Building Well-off Society in an All-Around Way, Implementing the Strategy of Developing the
Country by Relying on Science and Education, Sustainable Development, Promoting the
Scientific Spirit, Propagating the Scientific Ideas and Advocating the Scientific Methods and
Popularizing Science so as to create promotion atmosphere. On May 15, Chinese Digital Library
Co., Ltd distributed 1,000 copies of the Knowledge Benefits Human Being, Technology Enters
Family—Digital Library Popular Science Questionnaire. The AV Section of the Newspaper &
Periodicals Department selected 21 domestic and overseas videos with high content of popular science from the collections of the library and played them continuously in the No. 4 Audiovisual
Room of every morning from May 15 to May 21, involving the aspects of astronomy, geography, organism, animal and health care and receiving the readers of 265 person-times in total. The
Library Society of China delivered lectures of Chinese Cultural Wind children reading series and diplomat series for the readers for free, which received attention from and welcomed by the audiences.
On May 23, the Annual National Library of China Service Promotion Week opened formally. The service promotion week took the theme of advocating life-long education, public study and creating learning society, through the a series of colorful activates of exhibitions, knowledge lectures, reader workshops and social clubs, promoting the importance of public reading in the society, appealing the readers to actively participate in the reading and study, determinedly to improve the scientific cultural quality and playing the proper role in creating the learning society of the National Library of China.
On May 26, the 100 Issue Review Exhibition of the National Library of China Journal Document
& Master’s Manuscripts Transfer Ceremony was held at our library. Chief-editor of Document
Wang Han transferred 85 pieces of master’s manuscripts collected by the Document to the Rare
Books & Special Collection Department of our library for special collection of master’s manuscripts. Deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang, on behalf of the National Library of China, received the manuscripts and granted the certificates.
On May 28, the Workshop on Chinese Classics & and Culture Lecture, jointly sponsored by the
National Library of China and National Commission for Classics Editing & Research by
Institutions of Higher Learning was held at our library, over 20 experts and scholars, such as the professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Peking University and the director of National Commission for Classics Editing by Institutions of Higher Learning An
Pingqiu, the professor of the Department of Chinese Language and Literature of Peking University and the Secretary of National Commission for Classics Editing by Institutions of Higher Learning
Yang Zhong attended the workshop. The workshop was hosted by deputy director Chen Li. And the experts and scholars proposed many good suggestions and opinions concerning the Chinese
Classics & Culture series lectures and our library’s document research work. The Chinese
Classics& Culture series lectures launched in 2001, relying on the rich library collection resource of our library and the wide relation between National Commission for Classics Editing by
Institutions of Higher Learning and the academic circle, invited domestic and overseas experts and scholars to deliver speeches and received very good social effect. Up to now, 68 lectures were held and over 8,000 person-times of audience.
This month, the main building of Beijing Technology and Trade Center was completely removed.
Beijing Technology and Trade Center was built jointly by Beijing Tuxin Technology Development
Company and other 44 institutes and the total building area was 15,656 square meters. Its building land was the backup land of the National Library of China Second-phase Project and the National
Digital Library Project, and the removal was in direct connection with the construction of the project. Therefore, our library removal work group took advantages of the policies, strategies and techniques, in the nearly four months of hard work, had over 200 negotiations and signed capital raising contraction revocation with 44 capital raising institutes, laying a sound foundation for the smooth construction of the National Library of China Second-phase Project & the National Digital
Library Project.
June
On June 1, the opening ceremony of Juvenile and Children's Multimedia Reading Room was held at the Branch Library of our library. Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture Zhou Heping, the deputy director of Department of Society, Culture and Library of the Ministry of Culture Liu
Xiaoqin, Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui and over 40 youngster representatives were invited to attend the ceremony. The Juvenile and Children's Multimedia
Reading Room were 500 square meters, providing information resources of multimedia AV, video materials and youngster library link to the youngsters and opened to the students of primary schools and middle schools for free.
From June 3 to 8, the Director Research and Study Class on Library Modernized Management, which was sponsored by the Library Society of China and Beijing Xicheng District Library, was held at the Lecture Hall of Beijing Xicheng District Library and over 40 directors from the libraries of the country attended the research and study class. The class used the instructional modes integrating special reports, theme seminars, academic exchanges, discussion and professional visit, and the research and study contents were American university library and public library management, reflection of the library function and target under the network environment, required basic qualities of library managers, library human resource managing strategy, the relation between the knowledge management and library, the highlight problems of modern library science information science, frontal explore and developing trend, library scientific management and sustainable development, etc.
On June 10, Zhou Duomian, an ambassador of Switzerland to China, met with the deputy director of our library Zhang Yafang at the ambassador’s Residence and presented the first volume and the second volume of Historical Dictionary of Switzerland. Zhang Yafang, on behalf of the National Library of China, gave thanks to the Swiss Arts Council and ambassador Zhou Duomian and stated that this dictionary would be good for the readers to know the history of Switzerland.
On June 22, our library held the Inaugural Ceremony of the Special Collection Stack of the NLC
Dunhuang Manuscripts . Vice minister of the Ministry of Culture Zhou Heping, director of the
National Library of China Ren Jiyu, assistant minister of the Ministry of Finance Zhang Shaochun, the President of Chinese History Society and director of National Codification Committee of Qing
Dynasty History Dai Yi, researcher and academician at Building Research Institute of Ministry of
Construction, librarian of Central Research Institute of Culture and History Fu Xinian cut the ribbon for the inaugural ceremony of the Special Collection Stack of the NLC Dunhuang
Manuscripts. Thus, one of the treasures of our library—Dunhuang Manuscripts were moved into
144 purpose-made nanmu cabinets. The Chinese cultural heritage that had been conserved for over a thousand years would be protected better.
On June 23, over 30 leaders of the Party School of the CPC Central Committee provincial and
ministerial level study class visited our library. And Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy
director Zhan Furui, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang
received them. Zhan Furui, on behalf of the library leaders and all staff, warmly welcomed the
leaders in the midst of pressing affairs to visit our library and briefly introduced our library and
current key work. Later, accompanied by Zhang Yafang and related staff of the Library General
Office and Coordination & Operation Division, the leaders of the provincial and ministerial study
class visited our library’s rare book treasures.
July
From July 27 to 30, our library held middle leader work meeting 2004. Secretary of the Party
Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, deputy director Zhang Yanbo, deputy secretary of the
Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang, deputy director Chen Li and all middle leaders participated in the meeting. Zhan Furui, on behalf of the library leading groups, made a summary to the work of the first half of 2004 of our library, and by combining the public institution reform pilot work, mobilized all middle leaders for the National Library of China deepening reform. Later, the participants made warm discussion on the work of their departments, surrounding the themes of how to implement the various measures on deepening reforms, how to do the ideological and political work of deepening the reform and how to improve the work of the second half of the year through deepening the reform. Finally, Zhan Furui made a summery and deployed the work tasks of the second half of 2004 and proposed five requirements.
August
On August 12, our library held a reform deepening mobilization meeting. Except the staff on
deputy, over 1,000 staff attended the meeting. Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy
director Zhan Furui made a reform deepening mobilization. And deputy secretary of the Party
Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang made an explanation of the National Library of
China Cultural System Reform Pilot Work Implementation Solution (trial).
That same day, Huaxia Skillful Architect Heritage—the Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Yang Shi Lei
Architectural Archives opened at the Wenjin Hall of our library. The exhibition displayed the
research results of the Yang Shi Lei and the outstanding achievement of Yang Shi Lei family,
which was sponsored by the National Library of China, the Palace Museum, the First Historical
Archives of China, the Institute of Cultural Relics, Tsinghua University and Tianjin University and
organized by the Institute of Oriental Culture, Tokyo, Japan, Oriental Library of Cornell University
USA, intensively embodying the complete value of the Yang Shi Lei architectural archives,
reflecting the radiance of Chinese excellent traditional culture and winning the reputation in the
society.
September
From September 4 to 5, the 12th Conference of Directors of National Libraries in Asia and Oceania was held at our library. 13 representatives from the national libraries of Asia, and Oceania and
Secretary General of International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Mr. Ramachandran participated in the meeting. During the meeting, the representatives visited our infrastructure and library collected treasures and concretely came to understand the reader service work of our library.
From September 6 to 8, on the occasion of the 95th anniversary celebration of our library, the
International Symposium on Digital Library—Improve the Effective Application of Knowledge, which was sponsored by the National Library of China, was held grandly at Empark Grand Hotel,
Beijing. There were 200 experts and scholars in the field of digital library from 15 countries and regions, including America, Germany, Japan, Australia, Russia, Finland, Holland, Korea, India,
Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, China mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 28 experts and scholars all over the world delivered speeches in the meeting, involving mass information resource management, data-grid-related digital library construction technology, intellectual property right, standard and criteria, digital reference service, web information collection and preservation and related information of digital library construction projects, including the National Digital Library of China Project, America National Science Digital Library Project, China National Science
Digital Library Project, Alexander Digital Library Project and Stanford Digital Library Project and so on, basically representing the general level of the research, development and construction of the current world digital library.
On September 8, the special performance of the 6th NLC Art Festival Finals was held at the
Concert Hall, the 27 different-style and wonderful performances displayed the vital, thriving and robust mental outlook of the staff of our library. Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, deputy director Zhang Yanbo, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang and parts of the staff watched the performance.
On September 9, our library welcomed the 95th birthday. At 8:30, a grand flag raising ceremony was held at the Wenjin Square. At the 9:00 sharp, the library’s 95th anniversary celebration conference was held at the Concert Hall, which was a grand ceremony of the National Library of
China and also a grand ceremony of the libraries across the country and would play an active improving role in the development of Chinese librarianship.
That same day, the Exhibition of the 95-Year History of the National Library of China was displayed at the Wenjin Hall of our library. Through over 200 precious historical photos and well-designed diagrams, the exhibition introduced the National Library of China’s history, library collections, functions, modern construction and future development, recording our library’s development process and displayed the mental outlook of selfless contribution and hard working of the generations of the staff of the National Library of China.
From September 13 to 19, the delegation of the National Library of China visited Poland and its members included our library’s Deputy Director Zhang Yafang, director of the Division of
Disciplinary Inspection, Supervision and Audit Mao Xiaomei, director of the International
Cooperation Division Yan Xiangdongand director of the Acquisitions and Cataloguing Department
Gu Ben. During the visit, the delegation had three conversations with the National Library of
Poland and introduced the National Library of China by means of public lecture. The delegation also invited the National Library of Poland, the Warsaw University Library, the Warsaw Public
Libr ary, the Jagiellonian University Library and signed cooperative agreements with the National
Library of Poland.
On September 21, Scientific Counselor of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in
China (acting for culture affairs) Dr. Hartmut Keune, who was entreated by the Peace Research and European Security Studies（AFES-PRESS）of Free University of Berlin, presented our library a book named Security and Environment in the Mediterranean. Deputy director Chen Li met with
Dr. Hartmut Keune, and he accepted the book and granted an honorary certificate to the donor institution on behalf of the National Library of China.
That same day, the first public selection and job bidding work since the implementation of the cultural system reform pilot work of the National Library of China finished successfully. This employment through competition totally involved 24 administrative posts of level 1, 44 professional posts of level 1 and two posts of Chairman of the Board. And totally, 27 person-times signed up to apply the administrative post of level 1, 37 persons signed up to apply the professional posts of level 1 and one person signed up to apply the administrative post of level 1.
Through the evaluation committee’s recommendation, organization inspection, the Party
Committee Standing Committee decision and publicity, 23 persons were employed, 5 original deputy-director level leaders of them took the administrative posts of level 1 and the trans-departmental leader exchange proportion reached 13% and the leader structure was further optimized.
On September 29, the National Library of China Document Construction Steering Committee
Founding and First Work Meeting was held in No. 313. The main topics of the meeting were to jointly assess the National Library of China foreign document construction policy.
On September 30, the library Party committee theory study center held a meeting to carefully study the Decision on Construction of Ability of Administration of Chinese Communist Party
Central Committee deliberated and approved by the Fourth Plenary Session of the Party Central
Committee. Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui hosted the meeting, and he required the members of the Party committee to carefully study the guiding principle of this document, combining the practical situation of our library and carefully studied on the problems, such as the solution of the new situations and new problems encountered during the reform process; as a national library, how to play a role and promote the establishment of a learning society; how to take the advantage of the professionals and mobilize their initiatives.
Boosting by the library Party theory study center group, the Party branches would successively organize party members and leaders to study and discuss the Decision on Construction of Ability of Administration of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee according to the unified arrangement of the Party Committee Office.
That same month, the library bibliographic data integration that had planned for a long time was
completely carried out through the guide of the Cataloguing Committee of the National Library of
China, the unified arrangement of the Coordination & Operation Division and the vigorously
cooperation with related operational departments and divisions. According to the requirement of the established data integration solution, the main work of the data integration in 2004 included:
the formulation of the National Library of China Document Cataloguing Manual; the
modification of parts of mechanical damage and repeating data in the Chinese bibliographic data
and the treatment of the “obscure and uncommon data”; the check, modification and deficiency
supply of the Chinese and foreign language periodicals, the name authority and the modification
of search field related indicator in the foreign bibliographic data, etc.
October
From October 10 to 16, at the invitation of the Chartered Institute of Library and Information
Professionals (CILIP), the standing vice president of the Library Society of China, deputy
-director of our library Zhan Furui and Secretary-general of the Library Society of China Tang
Gengsheng visited CILIP, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) the British
Library and its document delivery center. This visit mainly conducted investigations of the
management and operational modes of CILIP, including the institution setting, management
mechanism, and the works and operating management of the key departments, such as its job
hunting agency, publication publishing, training, exhibition and reference service, public reading,
market promotion and professional qualification certification system and the like. From MLA,
they knew about the three-year action plan of the Future Ten-year Library Development Plan,
which was being implemented. The Reading Education and People’s Daily Online plans had
much reference values.
From October 12 to 14, the International Academic Symposium on Local Document, which was
organized by our library and co-organized by the Branch Library, was held in Beijing. Over 150
scholars of over 70 Chinese and overseas local document collection and research institutes got
together and conducted widely and deeply study, discussion and exchange concerning the
collection, compilation, research and use of the local documents.
On October 15, the Cultural Industry Standard (WH)—Humidity Requirements of Library Paper
Document Store Environment project approval meeting of Director of the Department of Archive Studies, School of Information Management of Wuhan University, the doctoral tutor and director of evaluation meeting Liu Jiazhen, which was hosted by Yan Xianji, director of Department of
Science and Technology for Culture, the Ministry of Culture and Dr. Yanping of Department of
Science and Technology for Culture, the Ministry of Culture, was held at our library. The project was scientific research project of Ministry of Culture 2003undertaken by our library, which mainly studied and formulated the standard of Humidity Requirements of Library Paper Document Store
Environment, of which the purpose was to create proper protection conditions for the collection, development and use of the documents of our country.
That same day, on the occasion of the 15th White Cane Safety Day, the Party branch secretary of the Stack Management & Reading Services Department Yu Shujie, who led League members of the department, came to Beijing School for the Blind and sent a special festival gift—3,000 books printed in Braille to teachers and students of the school, which was welcomed by them.
On October 16, Today We read Zhouyi knowledge lecture, which was delivered by the well-known philosopher Ren Jiyu, was held at the Branch Library. The lecture was hosted by deputy director
Chen Li and over 300 persons listened to the lecture. Thus, the Wenjin Forum totally held 239 lectures and had nearly 50,000 person-times audiences. The four volumes of Wenjin Lectures series, organized and published on the basis of the lecture contents, caused stong reverberations in the society.
On October 21, deputy director Zhan Furui intimately met with the President-elect of International
Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Dr. Alex Bern. Zhan Furui introduced the basic information of the National Library of China, efforts on the aspects of conserving the traditional culture and the development of the ongoing IFLA-PAC China Centre and Chinese digital library project. Dr. Alex Bern stated that the achievement that the National Library of
China had received in the process of development of these years was obvious to all. China also had its own excellent experience on aspect of library construction, and that Chinese became a working language of IFLA was good for the world library community to share these experiences.
From October 26 to 27, the second session of the Coordination Committee of Chinese Name
Authority was held at our library, and director of the Library of Perking University Dai Longji, director of the Library of City University of Hong Kong Steve Ching Hsianghoo, Vice Director of the Library of Chinese University of Hong Kong Wong, Rita, director of the Department of
Library Cataloguing of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Liang Qiping, director of the
Department of Library Cataloguing of Center for Chinese Study in Taiwan Li Liqian, Vice
Director of the Union Catalog Centre of Management Center of China Academic Library &
Information System Xie Qinfang, associate research librarian of CALIS Management Center, Yu
Shuangshuang and director of the Coordination and Operation Division of our library Wang
Dongpo, director of the International Cooperation Division Yan Xiangdong, deputy director of the
Rare Books & Special Collection Department Su Pinhong, deputy director of the Acquisitions and
Cataloguing Department Cao Ning and related workers participated in the meeting. The meeting was hosted by Chairman on Duty of this year and Deputy Director of our library Chen Li. The participants made introductions to and online presentations of the production of each Chinese name authoity data and corresponding bibliographic data connection authority, respectively.
From October 28 to 31, “the Second China International Internet Culture Exposition” was held in
Beijing. The service brand “New Concept Internet Bar Train” of China Digital Library Corp., Ltd., i.e. Zhongshu Xingbin Network Homeland, —appeared in a new image in the exhibition, and opened the largest display space in the industry, providing brand new internet surfing real feelings and experiences. The Zhongshu Xingbin Network Homeland was one of the national internet service place of business chain operation of publications that were prepared to build by ten institutes approved by the Ministry of Culture in 2003.
November
On November 5, the book presentation ceremony of the army writer Liu Gengrong was held at the
Red Hall. Deputy Political Commissar of the People’s Armed Police Sui Shengwu, Marshal He
Long’s daughter He Jiesheng, director of Popular Art Association of China Chen Jun, Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, director Zhang Yanbo and the directors of related departments and divisions attended the ceremony. This time, Liu Bingrong presented 40 pieces of works, nearly 25 million words to our library, including the book He Long’s Biography to our library. Zhan Furui, on behalf of the National Library of China, accepted the presented books and granted a certificate of honor to Liu Bingrong.
That same day, our library held a meeting of granting the administrative posts of level 1 and 2 employment certificate at the Multifunctional Hall. Secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, deputy director Zhang Yanbo and deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang attended the meeting and granted employment certificates of the administrative posts of level 1 and 2 to 33 regular employees. Thus, the key administrative post employment through competition of our library was finished successfully, indicating that our library cultural system reform work made a sound progress.
On October 16, the ceremony of the presentation by the editorial board of Translation of
Twenty-Four Histories & Beijing Gujin Publishing & Planning Co., LTD. was held at the Wenjin
Hall. The leaders, such as Chief editor of the editorial board of Translation of Twent y-Four
Historiesand Vice Chairman of the National People’s Congress Xu Jialu, Vice Chairman of
Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Zhang Huaixi, Vice Director of the Policy
Research Office of the CPC Central Committee Li Zhongjie, Vice Minister of the Ministry of
Culture Zhou Heping, deputy Administrator of the General Administration of Press and
Publication of the P.R.C. Liu Binjie, deputy director of National Copyright Administration of the
P.R.C. Yan Xiaohong, Assistant Secretary General of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative
Conference Qi Xuchun, and scholars and experts, such as Director of our library Ren Jiyu,
Professor of the School of History of Beijing Normal University He Ziquan and director of
National Commission for Classics Editing & Research by Institutions of Higher Learning An
Pingqiu attended the ceremony of book presentation. DeputyDirector Chen Li hosted the ceremony. And Ren Jiyu, on behalf of our library, accepted the presented book and granted
National Library of China Collection Certificates to the editiorial board of Translation of
Twenty-Four Histories and Beijing Gujin Publishing & Planning Co., LTD. That same month, our library conducted an education activity of grasping the service, strengthening the quality and establishing the image. Our library departments and divisions organized staff to made a discussion focusing on strengthening the service sense and improving the service level, and carried out operational study, operational rehearsal, operational exchange in connection with the reader service, improving the sense and ability of reader service; the library labor union carried out a rational proposal selection activity of Establishing Best Service Image of the NLC Librarians; arranged and organized by the Youth League committee, the League members, focusing on the service theme, carried out a youth forum and made a fierce discussion concerning the problems of how to improve the youth professional quality, service sense so as to take advantage of the youth people better.
December
On December 1, the National Library of China Public Reading Month 2004 initiated completely.
The main activities of this reading month included putting brochures about our library lending rules and newly-added services at the Reader’s Card Office, General Information Desk and the
Rare Book Reading Room for the readers to read; initiated the evaluation work of the National
Library of China Wenjin Book Reward and the National Library of China Wenjin Reading Salon; holding the National Library of China Collected Oracle Bone Exhibition and National Library of
China Reading Model Reward Ceremony & Reader Workshop 2004, etc.
On December 8, parts of collected precious oracle bones were displayed in the Treasure Display
Room of the Rare Books & Special Collection Department of our library for the readers. This exhibition displayed the discovery, excavation, research of the oracle bones and the appreciation knowledge of oracle bone rubbings, which were welcomed by the readers.
On December 13, as one important activity of National Library of China Public Reading Month
2004, National Library of China Reading Model & Reader Workshop 2004 was held duly at the
Red Hall of our library. Ten comrades, such as the National Development and Reform Committee Guo Tingjie, Assistant Secretary General and Research Fellow of Beijing World Chinese Culture
Institute Huang Jianzhong, the member of Chinese Musicians Association and former Standing
Vice Chief Editor and Copy Editor of the monthly periodical Song Zhang Ning were granted the honorary titles of reader models. In order to coordinating with this activity, our library also firstly held the National Library of China Reading Model Exhibition 2004, displaying the reading feelings and results of reading models to the readers and also provided opportunities for the readers to study the reading model’s reading experience and methods, making it become a platform of mutual exchange among readers and between the readers and the National Library of
China with the theme of reading.
On December 22, the initiation ceremony of the National Library of China Wenjin Book Award and the National Library of China Wenjin Reading Salon were held at the Wenjin Hall of our library. Director Ren Jiyu, secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, deputy director Zhang Yanbo, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and deputy director Zhang
Yafang, the Deputy Director of Department of Society, Culture, Library of the Ministry of Culture
Liu Xiaoqin, research fellow of China Research Institute for Science Popularization, deputy director of the School Administration Committee of Tsing Hua University, standing deputy dean and Professor of School of Journalism and Communication Hu Xianzhang attended the initiation ceremony. The ceremony was held by Chen Li. The National Library of China Wenjin Book
Awards was held once a year and 10 titles of books were awarded once a time. The National
Library of China Wenjin Reading Salon was a public reading club, which held discussions about the books and related topics that caused highly concern and animated discussions in the society by means of the interactions among the writers, experts and readers. And this salon was held once a month.
On December 24, Chinese well-known historian and educationist He Chongqun’s manuscripts
donation ceremony was held at the Rare Book & Special Collections Department. He Changqun’s
son and daughter He Linghua and He Lingchuan donated 24 pieces (24 titles) of precious
manuscripts to our library for free. Deputy director Chen Li, on behalf ofthe National Library of
China, accepted the donations and granted certificates of collection to He Changqun’s son and daughter.
On December 26, the first activity of the National Library of China Wenjin Reading Salon was held in the Rare Book Reading Room of the Rare Books & Special Collection Department.
Modern well-known writer Mr. Liang Xiaosheng was invited to deliver the lecture Reading and
Life, and the salon was held by deputy director Chen Li. Liang Xiaosheng, combining Chinese current situation, mainly talked about what books the children, young men, middle age people and the senior should read and how to read. The on-site interaction was fierce, and about 150 readers, including students, teachers and retired workers participated in the first activity.
On December 28, the long-waited foundation stone laying ceremony of the National Library of
China Second-phase & National Digital Library Project was held grandly at our library. State
Councilor member Chen Zhili, Vice Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative
Conference Luo Haocai, minister of the Ministry of Culture Sun Jiazheng, deputy director of
Central Office of the Spiritual Civilization Zhai Weihua, general engineer of the Ministry of
Construction Wang Tiehong, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture Zhou Heping, director of our library Ren Jiyu, secretary of the NLC Party Committee and deputy director Zhan Furui, deputy secretary of the NLC Party Committee and deputy director Zhang Yafang, deputy director Chen Li and related leaders of ministries and commissions, such as National
Development and Reform Commission, related leaders of the government of Haidian District, engineering design and monitor institutes and the representatives of the library communityin
Beijing attended the foundation stone laying ceremony. The gross building area of the National
Library of China Second-phase and National Digital Library Project was 79,899 square meters and the designed daily reader capacity was 6,000 to 8,000 person-times. The project was predicted to complete in October, 2007 and put into use in 2008. At that time, the overall area of the National Library of China would reach about 250,000 square meters, ranking the third place among the libraries in the world.