Libraries opened as public services improved

Licang district in Qingdao, a coastal city in Shandong province, has made strides in improving its public facilities to benefit more people.

The district has established two modern public libraries, with a total area exceeding 10,000 square meters.

The most recently built library covers more than 6,000 sq m. It was unveiled in June 2019 and has become a cultural landmark of the district.

The library is notable for its fully equipped layout and functions. It includes a consultation service area, an integrated reading room, a children's reading room, a newspaper and periodical reading room, a literature book reading room, a 24-hour self-service library, a study room, a cultural activity area, an exhibition hall and a lecture hall.

The library has stocked more than 70,000 new books and been equipped with advanced digital service devices, including a four-dimensional encyclopedia, an intelligent book borrowing machine, a reader statistics system, a service data analysis system and a 360 panoramic map navigation system.

The opening of the new modern library is just the beginning, according to the cultural tourism bureau of Licang district. Officials said more activities such as cultural salons, recitations, traditional cultural experiences, social science lectures and exhibitions will be held at the library.

Licang district has also established 24-hour self-service libraries across the district to offer more reading opportunities to residents. Since 2019, the district has set up five 24-hour self-service libraries with more than 20,000 books.

To further meet readers' personalized needs, Licang district has carried out a series of reading promotion events since April 2016.The events have lent out 22,948 books, valued at 854,432 yuan ($129,760) in total.

In addition, Licang district has launched an array of cultural activities this year. With a special fund of more than 400,000 yuan, the district put together a culture training project for local residents. The project covers 11 kinds of cultural training courses including dance, painting, calligraphy and singing.

The Licang district government also offers subsidies to allow more people to watch movies at cinemas with discounted tickets.