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Using Libraries in China Know Before You Go1 Su Chen and Jing Liu Using libraries in China Know before you go1 s more scholars and students go to prepare well, it will be costly in terms of Amainland China to do research or fi eld­ time and money, and it will cause you a lot work, many of them, especially students, are of headache and frustration. surprised by and disappointed with, what they discover in the Chinese library system. The current status of libraries in China It is drastically different from what they are In the past ten years, Chinese libraries as a familiar with in North America. whole have made tremendous progress in The authors of this article are both Chinese some areas. There are many new and well­ studies subject librarians working in North equipped library buildings in many cities, es­ American universities. In the past few years, pecially in big universities. Integrated library we have visited the National Library of China systems, such as INNOPAC, UNICORN, and and dozens of academic and public libraries ALEPH, have been adopted by some of the in Beijing, Shanghai, and Wuhan—the biggest libraries that we have visited. Through retro­ and most populated cities in China. spective conversion (RECON) projects, mil­ Through our work, we have talked with lions and millions of bibliographical records many scholars, researchers, and students have been put online, thus making remote who have used libraries in China and whose access to these records possible. Library research interests are mainly in the humanities infrastructure also uses broadband connec­ and social sciences. We conducted informal tions that enable fast and easy access. user interviews with them over a one­year In addition, a vast quantity of publications period. and archival materials have been digitized The purpose of this article is to address and access has been provided via the Web. All their concerns and offer some practical advice these developments have greatly improved to those who plan to use libraries in China. the usability of Chinese libraries and made them more accessible to foreign users. Two common mistakes However, despite the fact that the National We found that there are two common mis­ Library of China and some major public and takes shared by those who were disappoint­ academic libraries have migrated to online cata­ ed with their library research experience logs, their OPACs are incomplete, so users still in China. First, before taking the trip, they have to use card catalogs for older records. did not do their preliminary research well: It is a common consensus that library ser­ they did not find out which Chinese libraries vices in China are somewhat backward com­ had what materials and whether they were accessible to foreign visitors. Second, they Su Chen is head of the East Asian Library at the expected the same level of professional ser­ University of Minnesota, e-mail: [email protected] vices that they enjoyed at home and they and Jing Liu is Chinese studies librarian and technical could not, or would not, adjust and adapt. services supervisor at the University of British Columbia’s Asian Library, e-mail: [email protected] As they have acknowledged, if you do not © 2005 Su Chen and Jing Liu C&RL News February 2005 124 pared to their counterparts in North America. instance, you can access 800,000 electronic It remains true for archives and bookstores, Chinese books and most academic journal as well. The concept of subject librarian was articles over the Internet at reasonable cost. only introduced in the late 1980s, and libraries The Harvard­Yenching Library has digitized started to have subject librarians in the late some Chinese classics and provides access 1990s. Reference service is also a relatively through the Web. Usually, it is diffi cult for new concept and practice. a novice user to retrieve such information The majority of Chinese librarians, though from the Internet, but we have the training classified as librarians, have never had for­ and experience to help you. mal professional training. This has seriously 3. Find out which Chinese libraries reduced their ability to provide quality ref­ have the materials you need. Most of the erence services. In some libraries, there are students can identify the specific or targeted no subject specialists, so it is very diffi cult to libraries they plan to visit with help from get in­depth research help. Justifi ably, many their professors or librarians. In case you do foreign users feel lost, confused, and very not have a Chinese studies librarian at your frustrated in Chinese libraries. institution to help with pre­trip research, you can send all your questions to AskEASL, the Some practical tips virtual reference desk for East Asian studies Based on user feedback and our personal at askeasl.askvrd.org/index.asp. This service experience, we would like to offer some ad­ is specially designed for faculty and librar­ vice to those who plan to use libraries in ians who live or work in isolated locations. China. AskEASL often receives questions from us­ Things to know and do before you ers who are preparing for a research trip leave for China: to China, and users are always pleasantly 1. Some materials may exist in North surprised with the service. America. Before planning your trip to China, 4. Confirm whether the materials are it is best to consult your local East Asian li­ accessible to foreign visitors. Like many li­ brarians. A great amount of Chinese materials brary collections, some materials in China are have been collected and preserved in some not available to foreigners, especially some North America libraries, and some major East governmental or politically sensitive materi­ Asian libraries in North America offer travel als. Most Chinese academic libraries have grants to those who need to make the trip to a restricted access policy towards external use their rare collections. users. Some policies are quite vague and not 2. Prepare and bring an offi cial letter posted publicly, therefore, it is necessary to of introduction. In most cases, you need clarify access possibilities before the visit. a temporary library card to enter and use 5. Build up your local connections. libraries in China. In order to obtain the card, Guanxi, or local connections, has become along with a photo ID, you will need an of­ a mainstream term in Western languages. As ficial letter of introduction from your institute with other things in China, a little guanxi are or home library stating the purpose or the always helpful for your fieldwork or any re­ interest of your visit. search mission in China. The librarians in the With the assistance of Chinese studies East Asian libraries can help you get started. librarians, users can make sure that the ma­ We would be happy to contact our counter­ terials they are hoping to find in China are parts in China and seek special assistance not available in any North American libraries. for you. From the survey we conducted, we Assistance is not limited to the OPAC or union concluded that a little bit of extra work in catalog searching. We know what materials advance would save our users a lot of time exist in which libraries or databases and later in libraries in China. what is available in the public domain. For (continued on page 130) February 2005 125 C&RL News Vision and principles If elected president, I would be guided The goal put forth in ACRL’s Strategic Plan is by two principles: ACRL must refl ect its grand and audacious—“ACRL is responsible members and ACRL leaders must lead. and universally recognized for positioning ACRL programs and services are best when academic and research librarians and libraries they meet the needs of members as they as indispensable in advancing learning and enter their profession, as they become sea­ scholarship.” I am excited by an envisioned soned professionals, and as they aspire to future for ACRL members in which they are leadership. At the same time, ACRL leaders flexible, dynamic, and progressive leaders in must creatively initiate progress for the as­ their institutions, essential partners in learning sociation and boldly position ACRL to be and scholarship with faculty, and refl ect the a recognized voice in higher education. diversity of their communities. In this same These two complementary principles would future, ACRL can be essential to the profes­ be at the core of my presidency and color sional networking, development, and success my vision of a 21st­century ACRL. I would of academic librarians. I would use my presi­ welcome your support to enable me to turn dency to move ACRL closer to this desired these principles of attention and action into vision through my programs and priorities. practice. (“Using libraries…” continued from page 125) While in China, you should: in China, whether in the libraries or not, it is a 1. Plan extra time for library usage. good idea to bring enough cash for the day. As you have learned from this article so far, using libraries in China is neither quick nor Summary easy. You need to spend a lot more time As one of the ancient civilizations of the in libraries in China than in North America. world, China has a splendid history of Many libraries still have closed stacks, so you books and libraries. Many libraries, includ­ need to fi ll out a request form fi rst, and then ing most of the ones that we visited, have have a front desk clerk page the stack clerks excellent collections and good services that who will retrieve materials for you. Some make them an essential part of the research people are allowed into the stacks with the process for Chinese studies scholars and proper authorization.
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