Continuing Education in Chinese University Libraries: Issues and Approaches

The changing educational environment in China requires new functions for university libraries, and these functions demand that librarians possess different skills and talents. The quality and skills of university library staff are decisive factors for the development of both librarianship and national education in China's digital and networked environment. On-line distance learning is playing a more and more important role in improving both the theoretical knowledge and practical ability of practitioners in LIS. In China, over 40,000 staff work in more than 1,000 university libraries, but the lack of staff with professional education in some libraries should be recognised and continuing education offerings need to be strengthened. In this paper, the current situation is introduced, some major cases are described, and issues faced by most university libraries in professional education at all levels are analysed. Suggestions are put forward on how to expand the scope of education, and how to utilise the networked environment to supply e-learning to library staff to improve their ability in organising information resources and in providing higher quality information services.