The new building is also covered by wireless Internet service. About 400 computers allow users easy access to digital resources. The library also provides readers with a hand-held E-reading device, each with a liquid crystal display and a chip that stores more than 500 e-books. Users can access all the electronic resources in the library by plugging the E-reading device into a USB outlet, and download the resources they need.

With new facilities, the library has also adopted a more service-oriented strategy. Previously, the librarians in the NLC spent considerable energy keeping an eye on library users, in case that they damaged or stole books. Now, social values have changed considerably, and the general public sees the library as a place to enrich themselves, while the librarians view users as customers who need their service.

The library emphasizes a meticulous and individualized friendly service. In the word of Zhan, a librarian should be the reader’s shadow, appearing whenever needed, and disappearing otherwise, so as to give readers a relaxed and comfortable reading environment.

The new building is spacious and bright, warm and cozy. Comfortable sofas are placed all over the library and readers can get free water from drinking machines.

An innovation in the new building is a special section for vision-impaired people, who can access library resources through voice-controlled computers or a digital library specially designed for them.

In addition, the NLC is working with a large cable TV service provider, Beijing Gehua CATV Network Co. Ltd., exploring ways to access library resources through televisions. If the experiment is successful, the 2 million users of Gehua cable service will be able to access the homepage of the NLC, listening to lectures online or querying information. In the meanwhile, the NLC is also cooperating with mobile communication service providers, which will allow readers to query library information, read the most current newspapers, or access a small amount of documents through their cell phones.

The NLC also plans to build a search engine like Google. Compared with Google, the engine of the NLC will supply readers with more efficient, accurate and customized information, while screening junk information.

Library highlight

A big attraction in the new NLC building is Si Ku Quan Shu, a rare set of Chinese classical books that used to be stored in the original NLC building. The set is one of the most precious treasures of the library, and is presented to the public for the first time in history.

The set of books, completed in the 37th year (1772) under the reign of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) contains four traditional Chinese learnings-classic, history, philosophy and belles-letters. It’s the largest series of traditional Chinese classics before the Qing Dynasty. The set has a total of 36,304 volumes. It takes 3,826 people to make handwritten copies.

Of all the seven original copies, only 3.5 have survived, according to Zhao Qian, Associate Researcher in the NLC. The copy stored in the library was originally kept in the Palace Museum.

The new home of the classical books is located on sublevel one of the new building, and has an area of more than 500 square meters. The set of books occupy 128 bookshelves.

Until recently the public was unable to see the complete set. Now, at a designated time on important holidays, readers can view the books behind a glass wall. On other days, the storage area is closed to the public.