Libraly Journal

Libraly Journal ›› 2025, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (416): 103-114.

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The Light of Culture and the Flame of Revolution: The Examination of the Rise and Fall of Wenxin Library

Lu Kequan1,2 Li Gang1,2(1  School of Information Management Nanjing University 2 Yuhuatai Martyrs Memorial Hall-Nanjing University National Joint Research Center for Revolutionary Cultural Relics)   

  • Online:2026-01-15 Published:2026-01-08
  • About author:Lu Kequan1,2 Li Gang1,2(1  School of Information Management Nanjing University 2 Yuhuatai Martyrs Memorial Hall-Nanjing University National Joint Research Center for Revolutionary Cultural Relics)

Abstract: The Wenxin Library was a legally recognized social and cultural institution under theleadership of the Suzhou Municipal Committee in the Kuomintang-ruled territory and provided animportant organizational support for   the second front in the Suzhou region during the War ofLiberation. Reviewing the organizational structure service activities and readership of the WenxinLibrary is an attempt to reorganize the research clues on the cultural front in Suzhou during the War ofLiberation through the lens of library governance. It summarizes the library model represented by theWenxin Library which is characterized by  professionalization socialization and legalization andexplores its early experience in knowledge sharing community building among readers and the shaping of public cultural space to serve local cultural development. These historical experiences provide historicalreferences for contemporary libraries to build reader communities and promote public participation inlibrary governance.

Key words: Wenxin Library, Library governance, Reader community