A special edition of the OUC digital library for lifelong community learning in Wenzhou was officially launched on May 8, 2013. Deputy Party Secretary of the OUC Zhang Hui attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech.
Zhang Hui briefly introduced the experience and achievements of the OUC and commented that, with the rapid development of information technology in China, digital libraries had made universal services possible. With its emphasis on resource sharing, the OUC digital library will be of clear benefit to open universities and RTVUs. Further integration with public technical, cultural, and educational resources has been called for in order to better leverage the achievements of the digital library and high quality public literature resources .
In recent years, extensive community education in both rural and urban areas has created a culture of lifelong learning in Wenzhou. In September, 2012, Wenzhou RTVU, Wenzhou Community University, Wenzhou Senior Citizen’s University and Wenzhou Workers Vocational University were combined to form Wezhou City University. “Wenzhou Learning Network” is a digital lifelong learning platform overseen by Wenzhou City University, providing community education in Wenzhou based on a bank of state-level digital resources. Teachers and students from Wenzhou City University, as well as ordinary citizens of Wenzhou, can log in to the service and enjoy a wide range of free digital literature resources and knowledge management services. Without a doubt, this will impact positively on lifelong learning in Wenzhou, improve the efficiency of OUC digital library resources, and enhance its social reputation.
The special edition of the OUC digital library for lifelong community learning in Wenzhou serves as a new attempt to promote non-degree education. The OUC will draw on the experience gained from this trial to reform its service mechanisms, in order to better utilize the various resources offered by its digital library.
By Huang Jian, the OUC