Sep 14 2008
National Library of China
The National Library of China
Chinese Name: 中国国家图书馆
Address: 33 Zhongguancun Nandajie
Chinese Address: 中关村南大街33号
Phone Number: 010.8854.5426, 010.8854.4114
Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-9pm; Sat-Sun 9am-5pm
Website: http://www.nlc.gov.cn/en/indexen.htm
The National Library of China (NLC) is a comprehensive research library and a national repository of publications, with the functions of the collecting, processing, storage, research, utilization and dissemination of knowledge information.
NLC is also a national center of bibliographical records, a national center of digital libraries and a center of R&D in library science, researching and applying modern technologies and playing a leading role in standardization, digitization and networkization in the library community in China. NLC provides services for the central government, priority readers in research, educational and production institutions, and the public. NLC is also responsible for the training of Chinese librarians, research and development in library and information science, the fulfillment of cultural agreements on behalf of the Chinese government, and the promotion of exchange and cooperation with libraries in China and all over the world.
The Chinese national library’s new building opened to the public on Tuesday September 9th, 2008, making it the world’s third largest in terms of floor space. With the operation of the new building, the library’s total area reached 250,000 square meters, behind only the national libraries in France (Paris) and the United States (Washington D.C.), according to the library.
Construction of the new building began in late 2004 and cost 1.22 billion yuan (178.3 million U.S. dollars). It is one of the key culture projects sponsored by the Chinese government. The new building in western Beijing, which is considered the second phase construction of the library, covers an area of 80,538 square meters, combining storage rooms, reading rooms, a display area for ancient books and a digital library, said Zhan Furui, the head librarian.
It has 2,900 seats and a capacity to cater to 8,000 readers daily with about 600,000 books. Readers can also have wireless access to Internet on their own laptops or use any of the 460 computers in the new building. Palmtop digital book readers are also available to enjoy its 200-terabytes of digital resources.
A special library section for vision-disabled people features voice-controlled computers to look up books and resources. The library now is spacious enough to meet the needs for storing books for the next three decades, Zhan said.
It also planned to open a library channel with a cable TV company to put on programs of its lectures and exhibitions, as well as a short message service on library information. “In the age of Internet, we are introducing new technologies into the ‘old’ library work,” said deputy head Chen Li.
The main building of National Library of China
The New Building of National Library of China
Inside the new building of the National Library of China
