Sichuan's 209 public libraries now cover all counties in the province. On April 22, coinciding with the 29th World Reading Day, the Sichuan Provincial Library initiated the "Literary Tianfu · All People Reading" campaign province-wide and unveiled the Sichuan Library and Provincial Public Libraries 2023 Reading Report.
"Since ancient times, the Chinese people have advocated reading and stressed the acquisition of knowledge through studying the nature of things and the rectification of mind through thinking with sincerity. Reading helps the Chinese people to carry on the traditional spirit of perseverance and shape their character of self-confidence and self-reliance." Two years ago, General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the First National Conference on Reading, expressing hope that all of the people would be engaged in reading and contribute to an atmosphere where everyone loves reading, has good books to read and knows how to gain from reading.
By the end of 2023, the province boasts 206 county-level and above public libraries and three children's libraries. This achievement reflects Sichuan's successful initiatives in fostering a culture of reading among all people and building a society of avid readers. Libraries and new-style reading spaces across the province's cities (prefectures) focus on optimizing their services, fostering a two-way dynamic interaction between libraries and readers. This "reading boom" has emerged as a radiant landmark that exemplifies the province's initiative to educate and inspire the people through cultural development.
Bridging gaps, elevating quality: transforming reading into a delight
A set of data is inspiring. In 2023, the province achieved a milestone with all 208 public libraries participating in the seventh national evaluation and grading of public libraries at or above the county level for the first time, reaching a participation rate of 100 percent. According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism's list of libraries that have achieved a designated level in the seventh national evaluation and grading of public libraries at or above the county level, Sichuan Province now boasts 186 such libraries. This marks an increase of 43 libraries over the sixth evaluation and grading, yielding an upgrade rate of 89.42 percent.
In the view of Wang Long, the curator of the Sichuan Provincial Library, the evaluation and grading are like a ruler that measures comprehensively the infrastructure, business construction, and service levels of libraries, which motivate public libraries to bridge gaps, reinforce weaknesses, enhance service quality, and continuously improve their physical infrastructure.
With the support of the evaluation and grading process, new changes have taken place. In 2023, the total floor area of public libraries in the province reached approximately 1.08 million square meters, and the total number of reading seats exceeded 108,000, marking a year-on-year growth rate of 7.47 percent. The number of reading spaces and branch libraries continues to rise, with the province now boasting 1,264 new-style reading spaces, and the branch libraries within the province amounted to 5,568, representing a year-on-year growth of 1.15 percent.
Libraries and reading spaces, sprinkled across streets and villages throughout Sichuan, weave across the province like a network of capillaries, sketching out a new reading landscape where each location shines with its unique beauty and, together, contributes to a collective ambiance of literary richness. In June 2023, Chengdu High-Tech Zone's new library opened to the public. Spanning 15,000 square meters, housing over 400,000 books, and offering more than 1,200 reading seats, it has quickly become a popular haven for book lovers. A batch of new libraries has been put into use, including the Mianzhu Library, a 16,200-square-meter facility; the Deqing County Library, over 3,500 square meters; and the Kangding City Library, measuring 3,558 square meters. Besides, the expanded Huili City Library is now over 5,400 square meters. These "newly born" libraries offer the public even more expansive reading environments.
The Changheng Classical Academy in Pengzhou (a county-level city in Chengdu) and the Dongpo Classical Academy in Meishan represent the new types of reading spaces that allow people to immerse themselves in aesthetically rich reading environments. In the delight of reading, one can relish the beauty of literature, the elegance of thought, and the profound allure of reading itself, enriching the soul and allowing verses to touch the "poetry and Great Perhaps" deep within.
Hardware and software combined: the "reading boom" extends beyond reading
In recent years, Sichuan's public libraries have not only upgraded their fundamental "hard" power but have also witnessed the emergence of various "soft" services that cultivate a reading culture. The Chengdu Library has launched a new reading promotion brand, "Library Night," which ushers in Chengdu's nighttime library lifestyle. Concerts, demonstrations of intangible cultural heritage, and situational recitations are part of this lifestyle, showcasing the literary charm and rich reading atmosphere of Chengdu's Tianfu culture. The "Display and Interactive Experience of Ancient Book Protection Achievements" event, hosted by the Sichuan Provincial Library (Sichuan Provincial Ancient Books Protection Center), allows readers to engage in activities like rubbing, unlocking the beauty of traditional culture. Public libraries in Chengdu, Deyang, Meishan, and Ziyang have initiated a "book takeaway" borrowing service where readers can easily "order" books online without visiting the library and benefit from door-to-door delivery. The Yunlian County Library in Yibin City has successfully attracted children through its illustration book reading activities. By creatively utilizing its space and enhancing its functions, this county-level library has become a hit among young readers, with event slots being snapped up online in mere seconds.
In 2023, the province developed 857 reading service brands. Among them, 478 were specifically aimed at minors, marking a year-on-year increase of 3.02 percent. Across the province, a total of 27,000 reader activities, including lectures, exhibitions and training sessions, were held, marking a year-on-year increase of 20.92 percent, and the total participants' attendance reached over 20 million, up 19.31 percent from the previous year. These youthful and trendy reading activities, brimming with the charm of books, invite readers to experience a Sichuan-style relaxed sense of "intersecting through reading."
Vibrant and captivating, the "all people reading" initiative is gaining increasing visibility and tangibility, leaving a lasting legacy. It is drawing a growing number of individuals to public libraries, where they can partake in the pleasure of literature in this habitat of spirit and culture. In 2023, the public libraries throughout the province welcomed more than 30 million visits. The Sichuan Provincial Library registered 235,000 new readers throughout the year, bringing its total registered readership to nearly 650,000 by the year's end.
Smart reading stands out as a critical feature. In response to the transition from traditional print to digital media, many libraries within the province have merged diverse audio-visual materials and utilized digital technology to create interconnectivity among books, enabling a vast array of literature easily accessible to all. This approach offers the society a modern library that is more open, intelligent, inclusive, and focused on sharing knowledge with the public.
From the Smart Reading Space in Sichuan Provincial Library, the Audio Library in Tianfu Humanities and Arts Library, to the new Nanchong Public Library's emerging digital reading services, including children's VR/AR experience zone, cloud-based reading services, cloud virtual desktop reading, and interactive display screen reading area, these innovative offerings have redefined the static perception of traditional libraries; instead, they offer readers an immersive, interactive reading experience that is rich in sensory engagement, tactile interaction, visual appeal, and accessibility. The province currently possesses a collection of over 64 million digital books and approximately 15,900 terabytes of digital resources, with an additional 1,172.67 terabytes of these resources accessible to the public. The digital resources have recorded more than 68.23 million visits, representing a year-over-year growth of 4.99 percent.
