(LI SHIGONG)

In March 2012, the Capital Library Alliance was established in Beijing. Since its foundation, 34 university libraries, including the prestigious Peking University and Tsinghua University, will be gradually open to the public. Readers in Beijing will need just one simple library card to borrow books from over 60 libraries, which will soon be expanded to around 100.

After that, five universities in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, called on libraries in the city to launch a similar alliance in April, hoping to provide citizens free access to books and realize library resource sharing.

Whether university libraries should be open to the public is not a fresh topic. Actually, some universities had also started to be open to the public. But the establishment of the Capital Library Alliance is the first time for so many universities to offer the public free entry to their libraries.

The public is very supportive to this practice, believing that it will make it easier for more people to access books in universities and make book reading more convenient. However, some university students and teachers are worried that if universities open their libraries to outsiders, limited book resources will be "invaded" and it will affect students' normal study and life.

Supporters

Zheng Xinrong (Beijing Morning Post): If resources in university libraries are not fully utilized, it will be a big waste. Some people worry that free entry to these libraries will lead to overcrowded libraries on campus, but this is not certain. Maybe not a single outsider would to visit university libraries.

Nowadays, fewer and fewer people in China are interested in reading books. For example, you can always see many people playing games on their cellphones, instead of reading. Thus, opening university libraries to the public is actually a way to encourage more people to pick up books.

Generally speaking, outside readers usually choose libraries near their home and seldom go to a distant university library unless they have special need. Based on this fact, I believe university libraries will not necessarily become overcrowded even if they offer free access. Mostly, the beneficiaries of the free entry policy will be nearby residents.

Libraries should first meet students' and teachers' demand for books. If a book is already preordered by some student or teacher, it should not be lent to outsiders. Books that are not borrowed frequently by students and teachers should be brought into circulation. Doors can be closed to outsiders during the period when students are preparing for exams.

Opening universities to the public will surely add to universities' burdens in various aspects, so the government should increase subsidies for university libraries to ensure their normal operation.

Xiong Bingqi (The Beijing News): It's great for university libraries to offer free entry to the public. But at the same time, it will make the management work more difficult and the limited book and space resources in university libraries might be further squeezed. Thus, the government may consider offering some subsidies to universities as incentives to encourage more libraries to join the library alliance.

However, only depending on universities and the government will not ensure the sustainable development of the free entry policy. Therefore, it's necessary to absorb some social institutions and welfare organizations. For example, it's a good idea to set up a community club that brings together resources of nearby universities and even middle schools. Local residents can use these resources as long as they pay a small sum of money to be members of this club. Community residents should also have the opportunity to serve as volunteers in university libraries.

Zhao Kang (People's Daily): I'm working at a procuratorate. Sometimes I need to make reference to foreign cases when encountering difficulties in dealing with legal cases. If university libraries offer outsiders free entry, it will surely be more convenient for me to find relevant materials that I can't find in other ways.