Information for Social Change (Sep 1996)
Library Services in China since 1949
Abstract
In 1949 the People's Republic of China was established under the leadership of Mao Tse Tung. Of primary importance at that time was the institution of a new social order and building the economy. There was already a library infrastructure but this had to be re-moulded to serve the new system. This meant a shift of service from the elites of the old regime to the masses - the workers, peasants and soldiers. At the same time library materials had to be re-balanced to promote the revolutionary movement and remove stock which was ideologically unacceptable. Easier access to libraries was introduced with elimination of fines and charges. A new classification scheme based on Marxism-Leninism was developed to replace such schemes as Dewey and reflect the Communist concept of organisation of knowledge. Library staff were educated to understand the changes which were taking place in the country and were backed by supplementary staff who were Party cadres. So it can be seen that in providing library services for the people, a large emphasis lay in using the library to promote the new system.
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