Chen Ying emphasizes that during the
“15th Five-Year Plan” period, the nationwide library community should align
with the requirements of the new era to better fulfill their responsibilities
of creating positive energy and promoting mainstream values. Libraries must
enhance the preservation and utilization of Chinese classics, invigorating
traditional Chinese culture with renewed vitality. The implementation of the
“National Smart Library System” project, leveraging digital and intelligent
technologies to improve service quality, is essential. Furthermore, libraries should
act as the primary venue for promoting nationwide reading, contributing to the
creation of a reading-friendly society and a culturally strong nation. Chen
Chao positions public libraries as “the people’s university” and “the
people’s palace”, functioning as both knowledge and social infrastructure.
During this transformative period marked by global restructuring, public
libraries must go beyond addressing literacy and the digital divide through
reading services to help tackle broader social issues, fostering social equity,
inclusion, and harmony. Mao Yajun, from five perspectives—urban-rural
integration and community-oriented services; socialized education and societal
re-education; deep integration and multifunctionality; precise intelligence and
data visualization; new think tank development and distinctive
branding—outlines a vision for the “15th Five-Year Plan”. She suggests that
public libraries should be guided by high-level positioning, adopt integrated
development as a pathway, and employ global perspectives and strategic thinking
to construct a modernized library system with Chinese characteristics. Zhang
Bingmei identifies two major challenges for libraries during the “15th
Five-Year Plan” period: artificial intelligence and the involvement of social
forces. Libraries must adhere to their core mission of document collection and
preservation, adapt to new tools like AI, effectively utilize them, and refocus
their efforts on their societal education responsibilities. Fang Jiazhong begins
with a situational analysis, summarizing new goals, tasks, and requirements for
public libraries during the “15th Five-Year Plan”. Using the “elements theory” from
library science, he identifies new elements and values in library development.
Applying systems theory frameworks involving elements, structure, and
functions, he proposes that libraries should expand new momentum and functions
by focusing on structural innovation, thereby enhancing their role and
influence. Peng Yin suggests that provincial public libraries should
explore “cross-boundary integration”, “unlimited possibilities”, and “organic
growth”. They should prioritize local document resource system construction,
strengthen collection resource updates, extend outreach to create innovative
reading experiences, and foster a new path for cultivating interdisciplinary
talent by reinforcing the development of key library personnel.Chu Shuqing argues
that public libraries should proactively respond to the challenges and
opportunities of the “15th Five-Year Plan” by exploring professionalized and
socialized operational models, constructing public cultural communities,
deepening library industry consortiums, empowering smart development with
technology, and fully fulfilling their societal education mission. Zhang Yan highlights that urban public libraries, when planning for the future,
should align with national and local cultural strategies. They should adopt a
goal-oriented, problem-solving, and demand-driven approach to planning visions,
principles, missions, and action plans at both institutional and citywide
service system levels. Furthermore, She proposes specific ideas from two
angles: how new situations require new mechanisms, and how new mechanisms can
spark new vitality. Wang Hai recommends that public libraries focus on
three priorities during the “15th Five-Year Plan”: ensuring equitable access by
promoting the balanced development of public library services, restructuring
and enriching the content of public cultural services, and enhancing
sustainability through improved library operation models.