Why the fragrance of books | Sichuan: The reading space grows jointly, witnessing the two-way rush between people and books_Sichuan Online

Photos provided by Sichuan Online reporter Yu Rubo and Bianyu interviewees

Early in the morning on November 15, a long queue of citizens and readers gradually formed outside the new door of the Chengdu High-tech Zone Library located on Shengyuan Street, Chengdu High-tech Zone. At nine o’clock sharp, the library officially opened. With the crisp “didi” sound made when readers passed through the security gate, in less than an hour, all floors of the library were nearly “full”.

Since the official opening of the new Chengdu High-tech Zone Library on June 30 this year, scenes like this have been happening almost every day. With an area of ​​15,000 square meters, a collection of more than 400,000 books, and more than 1,200 reading seats, it has become a “cultural settlement” and “spiritual harbor” favored by nearby residents and reading enthusiasts.

Chengdu High-tech Zone Library New Building

The weather is getting colder, but the “heat” in our province’s libraries continues to heat up. The seventh national evaluation and grading of public libraries at or above the county level in Sichuan Province, which came to an end this year, shows that there are currently 209 public libraries in our province, ranking first in the country, with a library area of ​​nearly 1 million square meters, general literature The total collection is nearly 50 million volumes (pieces). The reading space is growing jointly, reading activities are rich and diverse, and the “two-way rush” between people and books is constantly happening.

Libraries are “popular” and make life more “cultural”

After 9 o’clock in the morning, 22-year-old Gao Yuanxiang just sat down in the reading seat of the new library of Chengdu High-tech Zone Library, then opened a book list and started to browse the collection. Gao Yuanxiang is preparing for the postgraduate examination early next year. This place provides excellent learning conditions. “The book collection is not only large and new, but also has many original English books. Small details such as air conditioning, sockets, WIFI and drinking water are also very considerate.”

Data provided by Zhao Si, director of the reader service department of the Chengdu High-tech Zone Library, shows that the new library has received more than 750,000 readers in the four and a half months since its opening, with an average of 5,500 visitors per day; of which, the average number of visitors per day on weekends is 7,000. This year During the summer vacation, the average daily number of visitors to the museum exceeded 10,000 for five consecutive weekends.

Chengdu High-tech Zone Library New Building

In Sichuan, there are many popular libraries. At the end of 2015, the current building of the Sichuan Provincial Library opened. It has been running services for nearly 8 years, receiving an average of more than 1.9 million readers per year, and the average daily average reaches 15,000. “We have no choice but to increase the number of seats in spaces such as the reading room and give up part of the book collection space to readers.” said the person in charge of the Sichuan Provincial Library.

Chengdu citizen Li Xiaorong is a frequent visitor to the Sichuan Provincial Library. She often brings her 3-year-old daughter here on weekends to enjoy parent-child reading time together. “She likes the children’s borrowing area on the first floor the most. Sometimes she sits on the floor with picture books and reads, and sometimes listens to me telling her stories in the books.” Li Xiaorong is usually busy with work and has limited time to spend with her children. The library not only provides Sharing space also makes this precious time more “cultural”.

Readers line up to enter Sichuan Provincial Library

In recent years, with the continuous advancement of public cultural undertakings in Sichuan, a large number of new libraries have been put into use in our province: Mianzhu City Library with an area of ​​16,200 square meters, Derong County Library with an area of ​​more than 3,500 square meters, and Kangding City Library with an area of ​​3,558 square meters. The Huili City Library has expanded to more than 5,400 square meters, and the Meigu County Library has expanded to 2,400 square meters… The scale and facilities have been upgraded, attracting more and more people to enter the library and feel the charm of reading.

As a result, the “library craze” is no longer exclusive to big cities, and more and more municipal and county-level libraries have begun to build their brands and influence. Since 2018, the Junlian County Library in Yibin City has carried out picture book reading activities every night for children aged 3-6 years old. At present, more than 500 sessions have been carried out in the county library alone, with more than 60,000 people directly participating in the activities. It also helps participating families develop good reading habits.

Innovative service content to help cultivate a “bookish life”

The popularity of libraries in Sichuan naturally benefits from the active participation of the general public and readers.

The “Sichuan Province 2022 National Reading Situation Survey Report” shows that the comprehensive reading level of adult residents in our province is higher than the national average, with an average of 4.91 paper books read per capita, and an average of 20.56 minutes per person reading paper books per day; 75% of Families with children aged 0-8 have the habit of reading with their children, spending an average of 23.67 minutes a day.

Of course, readers and libraries have formed a gratifying trend of “two-way rush”, and it is also inseparable from the latter’s focus on reading promotion and other fields, and constantly improving the level of public cultural services.

Picture book reading activities at Junlian County Library

A display shelf in the new library of Chengdu High-tech Zone clearly lists a total of 19 public welfare activities in November, sometimes two or three in one day. “‘Technology Lights Up Children’s Hearts’ youth activities and ‘Picture Books Are Fun’ children’s parent-child picture book activities have been held for nearly 40 times. Registration is open as soon as possible, making the library a weekend ‘cultural living room’ for young readers.” Zhao Si said.

Ying Yuanting, director of the Junlian County Library, said that before the picture book reading activity was launched, the library did not have a single picture book, no one had ever been exposed to picture book activities, and they did not even know what a picture book was. “How did picture book reading come about? Why isn’t it another form of reading activity? To put it simply, it was ‘done’.”

Picture book reading activities at Junlian County Library

After many explorations and studies, the staff of Yingyuan Hall and the library have identified preschool children aged 3-6 as the main service targets to encourage families and even the whole society to read together. “From looking for picture book catalogs and making PPT courseware, to how to sign up and how to teach, every item has been studied dozens or even hundreds of times. Slowly, the number of children signing up for the activities has increased from a few to hundreds. The venue can’t accommodate it.”

Not only does it vigorously attract readers to “come in”, the library also actively “goes out” to promote reading. On July 7 this year, the “New Space for Slow Train Reading with Yi Township Love”, which was created with the participation of the Sichuan Provincial Library, was established on the 5634th public welfare “Slow Train”. The carriages are decorated with different themes. For example, in the “Looking to the Future” science fiction-themed carriage, 100 copies of the “Science Fiction World” magazine attracted many children to watch and read. “In the future, various reading promotion activities will be brought to the train to create a veritable ‘mobile library’.” said Wang Long, director of the Sichuan Provincial Library.