World's Coolest Library Dazzles

Focus on essence

"Indeed, we should focus on its essence as a library, offering a topnotch reading experience to the visitors," Zhang said.

She said the authorities of Binhai New Area expected to make the library an excellent example of the high-quality and high-level cultural services that Binhai can provide to its residents and tourists as well.

"According to the requirements of the government, we have proposed 10 measures to upgrade the services and facilities of the library," Zhang said.

One of the measures is to enrich the collections in the library.

According to Zhang, a total of 312,000 books and 80 foreign-language newspapers have been added to the library during the past year.

It has also developed a digital library, which now stores 50 terabytes of documents in written, video and audio forms.

There are also sections for rare and ancient books and local historical documents, according to Zhang.

She said Binhai Library is cooperating with other libraries in the Binhai New Area to share resources.

"To expand our services to the entire Binhai (area), we have set up a number of branches to offer better access to more residents," Zhang said.

The curator said suburban and rural areas are the focus of the library's branching-out strategy, because of "the relative scarcity of cultural facilities there".

To date, Binhai Library has built 18 branch libraries and about 300 service outlets in these areas, according to Zhang.

Leveraging its resources, Zhang said the library has organized a range of activities and events for readers.

"We have invited renowned scholars in Tianjin and from the rest of the country to give lectures here, to share their insights with readers," Zhang said.

There are also voluntary campaigns to nurture residents' interest in reading.

She said the library is offering regular training to staff to raise their awareness for better services.

The curator said Binhai Library will also enhance cooperation with counterparts in China and overseas to learn from their experiences in management and share resources, aiming to build the library into a brilliant cultural brand for Binhai and Tianjin as a whole.

zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn 

Tianjin Binhai Library is a fantastic library in the eyes of locals because of futuristic design and reader-friendly nature.Provided To China Daily