Public libraries in China will no longer be able to charge fees for borrowing books starting January 1, 2018, according to a new law concerning public libraries introduced on November 4.
During the Ministry of Culture's fourth quarter news conference on Thursday, Vice Minister Yang Zhijin said that the focus of the ministry's work over the following months will be on fully preparing for the implementation of the law, which includes training for public library personnel and increasing efficiency.
According to Yang, the Ministry of Culture will also work with other government organizations for its digitalization efforts and to establish more self-service libraries throughout the country.
Han Yongjin, curator of the National Library of China, stated that he was looking forward to the implementation of library reform.
"We are working on building a full list of book collections that all our libraries across the country will have, which will make it easier for readers to access the books they want. We are also working on ways to make ancient classic literature more 'alive' for modern readers," he said.
