On 22nd December, 2017, the Open University of China (OUC) held a workshop on its library work.
OUC vice present Li Linshu; the curators from the libraries of six branches in Inner Mongolia, Liaoning, Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Yunnan; members of the academic committee of the Library at the OUC headquarters; responsible personnel from the Business Development Department, the Learner Support and Teachers’ Development Centre, and the Education Research Institute; and related personnel from the Learning Resources Department (the Library) participated in the meeting, which was presided over by the director of the Learning Resources Department, and curator of the Library, Du Ruo.
Li Linshu pointed out that promoting the construction, reform, and development of the OUC Library encompasses a range of tasks, including clearly defining the Library’s positioning and development direction, establishing a student-centric service concept, understanding the major demands of adult online learning, creating a library service model that differs from general colleges and universities, tracking the reform process of the teaching and training models, and providing professional services.
Li Linshu hopes that by integrating the knowledge and skills of library workers and experts into the OUC system and by conducting in-depth research and discussions at various levels, it will be possible to further clarify a new operation mechanism for the libraries in the OUC system. These efforts come against a background of the transition and development of the OUC from a Radio and Television University, changes to the structure of the OUC system, and the establishment of a new concept.
Li Linshu emphasised that a library is a symbol for a university and an important base for learner cultivation and cultural creation. The OUC Library possesses a solid foundation built by several generations of hard working people and now has excellent development opportunities brought to the OUC by the state in the new era. He believes that with the joint effort of all involved, the construction of the library will have a brighter future, its reform will go even further, it will be more prosperous, its position and function will be more prominent, and it will become an indispensable part of the OUC’s reform and development process.
Former deputy curator of the library, Cao Gang, reported on the recent progress made by the Library, in particular, the construction of a digital library, a digital map application, reader services, subject services, social services, and library construction for the OUC education system. He also touched on some of the problems that still need to be solved and summarised recent research work.
Du Ruo proposed that in order to further promote the transformation of the library and help bind it closely to its core business, the library should be repositioned and its organisation and services be reconstructed with the user as the centre. In addition, it is necessary to set up a new evaluation index for the library, including elements such as student retention rate, graduation rate, and contribution to teacher development and scientific research.
The attendees also discussed issues such as the positioning and responsibilities of the Library, a library work mechanism for the headquarters and its divisions, the definition of the relationship between the Library of the OUC system and the Library Work Committee, the construction and sharing of library resources, and embedded teaching and research subject support services.
By OUC Learning Resources Department