"Smart Library," "Smart Reading," and "Smart Campus" are being mentioned more and more frequently in educational media. In the era of Education Informatization 2.0, information technology has brought many innovative applications to primary and secondary school education and teaching. As a treasure trove of knowledge, primary and secondary school libraries face many challenges, but even more opportunities.
Compared to public libraries, primary and secondary school libraries generally face these two challenges:
A severe shortage of full-time librarians.
The lack of full-time librarians forces schools to frequently replace part-time librarians or simply leave the position vacant indefinitely. Part-time staff lack relevant library management skills, leading to substandard library services, monotonous reading activities, and serious waste of resources.
Low utilization rates of primary and secondary school libraries.
Related research shows that primary and secondary school students are less willing to read and borrow books from school libraries, preferring public libraries instead. There are three main reasons for this phenomenon: First, primary and secondary school libraries are generally outdated and cannot compare with public libraries; second, the number of books is small and old, and the books are not systematically organized, failing to meet the actual reading needs of students; and third, older students have heavy academic burdens and do not have much free time for reading.
If information technology has laid a solid foundation for the upgrading and renovation of primary and secondary school libraries, then the introduction of national policies has pointed the way for their development.
The state attaches great importance to the strategic deployment of nationwide reading.
"Promoting nationwide reading" has been included in the government work report for many consecutive years. A strong youth makes a strong nation; vigorously promoting nationwide reading in primary and secondary schools is imperative. The "Opinions on Strengthening the Construction and Application of Primary and Secondary School Libraries in the New Era," jointly issued by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, establishes six key tasks: promoting the construction of basic conditions, ensuring the quality of library resources, standardizing the library acquisition mechanism, continuously improving the level of informatization, giving full play to the educational role, and driving the construction of a book-loving society.
Under the new and favorable circumstances, some primary and secondary school libraries have been exploring and accumulating valuable experience in upgrading and transforming their facilities. The following optimizations are worth learning from and promoting in primary and secondary school libraries:
**Establishing a unified regional campus library management platform.** Utilizing big data technology to analyze the book borrowing situation of schools within the region allows for the unified and rational allocation of book resources. Simultaneously, it provides accurate data guidance and suggestions for subsequent reading activities and book procurement in schools.
**Constructing standardized and intelligent primary and secondary school libraries.** Introducing
RFID library technology, using intelligent equipment to alleviate the shortage of librarians, and empowering primary and secondary school libraries with
RFID devices to improve book circulation rates through processes such as book borrowing and returning, and book inventory. Smart libraries enhance students' reading experience and can stimulate their reading interest.
**Exploring "Internet + Library" to achieve the integration of "people, books, and the internet." Utilizing mobile apps to conduct smart reading activities achieves an organic combination of online and offline learning. Activating digital book resources allows students to easily download e-books via their mobile phones, expanding their reading channels and truly realizing "reading whenever they want." Sharing digital book resources online can alleviate the practical problems of limited funding and shortage of book resources in primary and secondary schools. Upgrading the reading space environment in primary and secondary schools, and redesigning the space of school libraries to create a warm and comfortable environment, can not only attract students to borrow books, but also provide space for various library activities. At the same time, shared bookshelves and reading booths can be installed in the public areas of primary and secondary schools to stimulate the reading interest of students and teachers, truly achieving "reading for all."
