With the arrival of World Reading Day on 23 April, the Open University of China (OUC) has launched the “2020 Initiative to Promote Reading for All" (full text attached at the end of the article), requiring all libraries within the OUC organisation system to take joint action to organise and participate in activities encouraging people to read and consciously take part in this initiative, so as to improve the literary environment on campus and help readers make achievements through reading.
2020 Initiative to Promote Reading for All
The report of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) pointed out that culture is the soul of a country and a nation. A country prospers when its culture flourishes and a nation becomes powerful when its culture is influential. Without a high degree of cultural self-confidence and cultural prosperity, there can be no great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. University libraries play an important role in educating people through culture. In the OUC system, an Internet Plus university based on the internet and systematic operation, libraries play an eminent role in promoting reading for all.
The OUC has always attached great importance to and actively promoted reading for all. Over the past decade, it has made developing and advancing reading for all an important measure for implementing the construction of a learning society. Through the nationwide reading work jointly carried out by its organisation system, the OUC has successively won honorary titles, such as "Advanced Unit of Reading for All" and permanent "Demonstration Centre for Reading for All” and has a good reputation across China, both of which have increased the cohesion of libraries in the OUC organisation system and promoted the cultural construction of open universities.
With the arrival of World Reading Day in 2020, we propose that all libraries in the OUC organisation system should take joint action to actively organise and participate in activities encouraging people to read, and consciously take part in this initiative, so as to improve the literary environment on campus and help readers make achievements through reading.
1. Closely follow the theme of nationwide activities and promote the in-depth development of said activities
The theme of this year's nationwide reading event is “Fight against the Epidemic and Reach for a Better Future through Reading.” The outbreak of COVID-19 is the biggest public health emergency since the founding of new China. The joint effort to combat COVID-19 is war without smoke or gunfire. The libraries of the OUC organisation system should continue to work together to further study and implement the important directive spirit of general secretary Xi Jinping on the prevention and control of COVID-19, act with initiative, support each other, help with the fight against the epidemic, and warm people’s hearts through reading.
2. Adhere to ideological guidance and value orientation, respect and read classical works
"Reading for all" activities must adhere to ideological guidance and the correct value orientation. We should closely adhere to the principles of "cultural confidence;” realise "fostering virtue through moral education;” inherit and carry forward the advanced culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics; respect and read classical works; inherit and carry forward the excellent culture of the Chinese people through the promotion of reading traditional cultural classics; shape and baptise our spirituality through the promotion of the reading of revolutionary classics; and shape people and nourish their souls through the reading of classical works.
3. Give full play to the chain effect of the OUC system and realise integrated development
The biggest advantage of the OUC libraries is that they exist within an orderly school organisation system, which allows them to give full play to the education function of culture and carry out reading activities for all. Giving full play to the organisational and chain effect of the libraries in the OUC system is an important guarantee for the realisation of integrated development and the extension of the libraries’ social influence. Each library (reading room) should be aware of its own actual situation, meticulously organise any activities, widely mobilise its people, and actively carry out activities that promote reading for all.
4. Fully leverage new technology and use innovative methods to promote reading
Internet Plus is a prominent feature of open universities and information technology is their significant advantage. In order to carry out the promotion of reading for all, we should be aware of and make use of information technology such as media convergence, new media, and artificial intelligence, rely on and make use of digital resources, and widely develop activities to promote digital reading. The library of the OUC headquarters will give full play to the platform and leading function of technology and continue to build successful new media reading brands, such as "One Book, One Course” and "Learning Hour.” All libraries (reading rooms) should provide high-quality reading resources and applications to recommend books. All libraries (reading rooms) are encouraged to innovate and promote new reading methods and integrate new technologies in order to launch various activities such as exhibitions, recitations, competitions, and lectures.
5. Strengthen publicity and improve self-influence
If we are to develop reading activities for all, we need to actively organise events and mobilise our people, and more importantly, to strengthen publicity. All libraries (reading rooms) should focus on doing effective propaganda work and telling good stories relating to reading. In order to create a chain reaction of publicity, all libraries (reading rooms) should do successful promotion work and report to the library at the OUC headquarters, recommend advanced experience and typical practices in reading promotion, and work together to write a new chapter for the promotion of reading in open universities. In this way, we can showcase a new reading atmosphere and new development, so that the libraries of the open university system can respond in unison and have a better impact on societal reading practices.
By OUC Library