Social education has always been considered as a core function of public libraries. Aspublic cultural institutions, libraries play a pivotal role in promoting social education. This article firstexamines the historical development of subscription libraries and Carnegie’s philanthropic efforts inlibrary construction, illustrating that public libraries emerged in response to the public’s demand for selfeducationand, more broadly, social education. This laid the historical foundation for the social educationrole of public libraries. It then analyzes the evolution of this function from the initial focus on cultivationeducation to liberal education, and ultimately, to literacy education. The authors argue that informationliteracy and digital literacy education are the new growth areas in the social education mission of librariestoday.

The proposed concept of the public cultural service community is a further innovation andsublimation of the Party and the country’s approach to cultural governance. While existing researchfocuses on the theoretical underpinnings and significance of this concept, there has been less attention tothe key question of “how to construct” such communities. From a practical perspective, models such asGuangzhou’s “Vertical and Horizontal Collaborative Service Upgrade Model”, Shanghai Pudong NewArea’s “Regional Alliance Cultural Coordinated Development Model”, and Sichuan Province’s “Platform-Driven Resource Linkage Model” have achieved significant operational effectiveness, providing goodreferences for the construction of the public cultural service community in China. An analysis of thefour dimensions of “institution-technology-organization-environment” reveals ongoing problems,including institutional deficiencies and inadequacies, digital resource divides, “weak participation” ofsocial forces, and insufficient support for guaranteeing elements. In the future, efforts should be made toexplore mechanisms for cross-departmental collaboration, digital resource sharing, open cooperation, andenvironmental support, to achieve institutional innovation and enhance the construction of public culturalservice communities.

Building an AI literacy education and training system for artificial intelligence (AI)for research is crucial in cultivating more scientific researchers equipped with technical knowledge,innovative thinking, and ethical awareness. Based on a comparative analysis of AI-related literacyeducation policies, courses, and training programs in major countries, the proposed system is believed tonot only emphasize the understanding of AI concepts, but also foster practical skills, ethical and socialresponsibility, interdisciplinary thinking, and emotional connection. AI literacy strategies are crucial forboth educators and students, they can be implemented by a range of social actors such as governments,educational institutions, enterprises, and public welfare organizations like libraries and communities. Theyjointly form a multi-level and complementary educational and training framework by assuming specificroles and responsibilities. They not only promote the application of AI technology in the scientific field,but are also responsible for cultivating a new generation of scientific researchers, enabling them to havethe ability to use AI technology for interdisciplinary research.

This study explores the ethical dimensions of AI literacy education from the perspective ofacademic libraries in higher education institutions. It aims to provide theoretical reference and practicalguidance for academic libraries to conduct ethical education in AI Literacy. Through content analysisand web-based surveys, the study clarifies the conceptual connotations of “Ethics in AI Literacy” and“AI Ethics”, reviews global policy and research trends, and demonstrates the necessity and feasibilityof academic libraries’ involvement in ethical education in AI Literacy. It also summarizes the practicalactivities of academic libraries worldwide in this field, thereby identifying the ethical dimensions andconnotations of AI literacy education. On this basis, it constructs a content framework for AI literacyethics education that encompasses “Direction-Stage-Elements”. This study enriches the theoreticalconnotations of ethical education in AI literacy and guides the practice of ethical education in AI literacy,supporting the development of future citizens with AI literacy and ethical awareness.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is evolving into a driving force behind innovationin contemporary library services. Based on the report Evolving AI Strategies in Libraries: Insights fromTwo Polls of ARL Member Representatives over Nine Months published by the Association of ResearchLibraries (ARL), as well as other relevant studies, the paper explores the multidimensional impact of AIon academic libraries. The focus is on the reshaping of academic libraries’ role and strategic planningin the context of AI advancements. This paper proposes that integrating advanced foreign experiencewith local conditions can help academic libraries construct and implement a customized AI developmentstrategy. By popularizing AI application capabilities, enhancing AI literacy among librarians and users, aswell as strengthening data ethics and privacy protection, we can be better positioned to adapt to future AIdevelopments.

This paper explores the innovative practice of advancing AI literacy education throughreading promotion. By incorporating diverse activities and multi-level service content, literacy educationis integrated into reading activities, comprehensively matching the multi-dimensional connotations ofAI literacy. To address key issues such as cognitive shaping, motivation maintenance, and confidencebuilding, the ARCS motivation model is employed to design AI literacy education sessions, constructing acomplete chain of “Attention (A)-arousing interest, Relevance (R)-strengthening motivation, Confidence(C)-facilitate application, Satisfaction (S)-creating contexts and enhancing Satisfaction.” This approachleverages the library’s platform advantages in resource integration, innovative services, and interactiveengagement, so that the constructed model is integrated with reading promotion and can help learnersdevelop an autonomous consciousness to enhance their AI literacy. Additionally, strategies for furtheradvancing AI literacy education based on the ARCS model are proposed.

An in-depth exploration of the services demands among university users for intellectualproperty information is conducive to the understanding of the development status and future directionfrom the demand perspective. By applying grounded theory to user consultations collected from thewebsite of China National Intellectual Property Administration, this paper constructs a theoretical modelof user demand for intellectual property information services from four dimensions: intellectual propertycreation, application, management, and protection. It analyzes the characteristics of intellectual propertyinformation service demands among university users in detail, and offers three suggestions for thefuture development of intellectual property information services in Chinese universities: 1) expandingthe target audience for intellectual property literacy education and diversifying its delivery methods; 2)paying attention to the development of intellectual property talent teams and establishing an endogenousmechanism for intellectual property talents; and 3) seeking regional cooperation between public serviceagencies and exploring promoting mechanisms for regional collaboration.

The rapid development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technology is profoundlychanging all walks of life. As an important institution for knowledge preservation and dissemination,libraries are also facing new opportunities and challenges in this era. Based on an overview of libraries’responses to GenAI and the impact of the GenAI wave on librarianship, this article suggests that librariesshould adopt strategies for integrating resources, talent and contextual applications of GenAI, and proposesdifferentiated response strategies for domestic public libraries, university libraries and scientific researchlibraries. It also briefly discusses how to improve the library-AI cooperative ecosystem through technologyalliances. This article provides a reference for the development of librarianship in the GenAI era.

This paper explores the practice and development of special-collection libraries, using theLaw Library of Shanghai Library East as a case study. Through literature review, empirical research,and comparative analysis, the paper analyzes the resource construction and related service of the lawlibrary, summarizing key experiences such as satisfying professional needs with personalized services,promoting legal literacy through diversified activities, and improving service quality through professionalresearch. It also addresses the problems faced by the library, and proposes relevant countermeasures,such as strengthening the construction of specialized literature, enriching resource types, fostering socialpartnerships, improving the professional competence of librarians, and enhancing scientific researchawareness.

In 2022, the Chinese Studies Center of the National Library of China conducted researchon its collection of overseas publications on Shanghai studies written in minor European languages. Thestudy involved a statistical analysis based on chronology, language, and classification, which broadenedthe knowledge of overseas Shanghai studies, and triggered reflections on the historical value, theoreticalfoundation, supportive role, and reference significance of such studies. The article proposes to carry outthematic literature research in a wider range, fully leveraging the historical value of overseas Chinesestudies, and advocating the establishment of collaborative and incentive mechanisms for such research.By examining the perspectives of overseas scholars, this investigation clarifies the relationship betweenShanghai’s development and its history, culture, social progress, and national strategy. It enriches theunderstanding of promoting the inheritance and development of Chinese culture, and facilitating Sinoforeignexchanges and cooperation. Also, it has demonstrated the indispensability of collection building,the importance of fundamental service, and the social responsibility of the National Library of China.

In recent years, with the enactment of the Public Library Law and policies such as theGuiding Opinions on Promoting the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities, the Implementation Plan of theNational Reading Action for Adolescent Students, the Family Education Law and the “Double Reduction”initiative in education, the role of public libraries in supporting children’s reading has gained increasingattention. Using the Shanghai Children’s Library as a case study, this paper explores the backgroundand main characteristics of the current children’s reading service, and proposes a stronger child-friendlyapproach by building a new child-friendly reading space, and optimizing their reading environment.It emphasizes the importance of enhanced organization and access to high-quality literature, and ofdiversified reading promotion that supports children’s growth and development in a more integrated andinclusive manner.

The research on bibliography in the Yuan Dynasty is relatively less in the past century, andthe analysis for bibliographic literature of the Yuan Dynasty can change this situation to some extent.Through counting the number of Yuan Dynasty catalogs, it was found that there were 67 types of theYuan Dynasty catalogs, which can be divided into three categories: book collection catalogs, historicalrecords catalogs and specialized catalogs. Among them, the collection catalog can be divided into nationalcollection catalog, academy collection catalog, and private collection catalog. Specialized catalogs canbe divided into sub-categories such as guide catalog, religious catalog and reference catalog. Due to theinfluence of academic trends and politics, there are a large number of religious and reference catalogs. Theideology for guiding the Yuan scholars to catalog is summarizing numerous books and being proficient inlearning, which had a value orientation of respecting sages, pursuing great principles and using catalogingfor practical purposes.