Reader-centered Library Research

To provide services is the fundamental purpose of a library. However, tracing back to the history of a library, we have found an emphasis has been laid on literature collection rather than its utilization, so that resources building (collecting and processing) is a matter of primary importance while providing information and other services to users is just put into the secondary place. Directed by this notion, libraries have been operated as function-based organizations rather than service-based ones, which result in the library itself and its own function as the center even if it is related to the organizational structure, the staff management or the evaluation of the daily work. Great changes have taken place in the field of information service in technique and service methods with the coming of the information era, and the development of the Internet and the modern communication technique after 9O's,which affected all over the world. As a traditional information service organization, library paid more attention to diving into the wave of technique reform, as for service transformation it seems lagging greatly.The purpose of this paper is to explore the problem of building up user-centered library by administration and service transformation. First and foremost, the paper dissects the current conditions of library service and its administration, points out the reasons why academic library hasn't converted to user-centered. And then the paper discusses administrative transformation from the aspects of organizational reform, staff development and user-centered library culture. After that, the paper intends to set up a model of user-centered service of the library in five aspects, that is, information ownership and access, description and cataloging, supplying and delivery, reference work and user education, and value-added services. The paper also gives a case study of user-centered service of the library. Finally, after analyzing and contrasting several notions about library, the paper poses "one-stop shopping service" as the model for user-centered library.This paper clarifies that library should emphasize the service to its users and looking at library functions from a user's point of view. Library services ought to be user-centered. It requires to apply user-oriented administration and control in the entire process from the stage information selected out of the library to the stage information afforded to users. It demands to transform the organizational structure and administrative method of the library by reforming the hierarchical structure, building up team-based structure, and undertaking working process control facing to users. Staff is the important resource of library, they link library services with users' requirements. A high efficient staff management and development plan with an user-centered library culture are the fundament to user-centered library and its service. It is the modern academic library's purpose to build up a real user-centered, service-oriented library through service transformation, structure reformation and staff development.This paper is divided into six parts.Part I : "Introduction." It introduces the background, and the purpose of the paper.Part II: "Dissection of current conditions and problems of academic library." It introduces the current conditions of library service and its administration and studies the problems that have been existed.Part III: "User-centered administrative transformation of the library." The paper researches administrative transformation of the library from the aspects of organizational reform, staff development and library culture. As to organizational reform, the paper studies applying user orientation, team-based structure and working process control. Library doesn't need to set up anew organizational structure, it ought to transform the old one, apply more flexible and more elastic team-based structure and working process control facing to users' requirements and services. About staff development, the paper discusses the...