Shanghai Library_Celebrating Our Birthday – Events in the Shanghai Library’s Diamond Jubilee Week (July 16

News

Celebrating Our Birthday – Events in the Shanghai Library’s Diamond Jubilee Week (July 16 - 20)

			THE YEAR 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of Shanghai Library, which took place on July 22, 1952. To celebrate the Diamond 60th Jubilee and mark the historic occasion, special events and activities are planned and delivered throughout the year and in particular during this week between July 16 and July 22:
l Meetings *1. The sixth Shanghai International Library Forum (SILF 2012)*

*Tuesday July 17 - Thursday July 19* *Auditorium and seminar rooms, West Wing; multifunction hall, fourth floor* One of the most visible LIS forums in China, the biennial SILF is holding its sixth gathering this week under the theme of “Smart City and Library Service”. Centering on the latest progress, practical experience and future trends related to the theme, the forum will cover keynote speeches, plenary sessions and individual symposia. Inspirations are expected to be sparked via dialogues in the contexts of “Library as an Infrastructure for Research and Learning”, “Coming of the New Integrated Library System: Supporting Cloud Computing and Mobile Services”, “Enabling Librarians to Proliferate Digital Reading and Preserve Digital Memories”, “Management and Performance Evaluation of a Hybrid Library”, “Library Technical Service with Semantic Technologies” and “The Core Values and Competitiveness of the Physical Library in an Omni-media Age”. The forum will take place in concurrent with the “2012 the Chinese Library Director Panel Debate” and the “Window of Shanghai” Working Session. More details can be found on the web portal of the event at http://www.libnet.sh.cn/silf2012/english/index.htm. *2. The SILF 2012 Chinese Library Director Panel Debate* *8.30am - 11.45am, Thursday July 19* *Multifunction Hall, fourth floor* To ake place in conjunction with the SILF 2012 on July 19 is a panel debate dedicated to the library directors from around the country on the topic of “*Changing vs. Sustaining”, which brainstorms how library should redefine and reshape its functions in the current “happy days” when libraries in China are encouraged to compete for building into bigger physical space; and when they are also suffering critical shrink of ability of making profits to support and develop themselves, as a result of the milestone issuance of the government regulation in January 2011 that required the opening of public libraries and their basic services to be delivered at no charge. This panel debate will be chaired by Prof Fan Bingsi of the East Normal University and Prof. Li Guoxin from the Peking University. 3. The SILF 2012 “Window of Shanghai” Working Session*

*1.30pm - 3.45pm, Thursday July 19* *Rm5304, third floor, west wing* A SILF concurrent session devoted to the “Window of Shanghai”, an international cultural exchange and library collaboration project based on book donation and library resources/service sharing. 2012 marks the tenth anniversary of the initiation of the project, and since its inception in 2002 it has developed a worldwide network of participating libraries encompassing more than 80 partners. The session will be chaired by Dr. Wu Jianzhong, the Shanghai Library Director. *4. The 60th Anniversary Celebration Meeting* *9.00am - 11.30am, Friday July 20* *Multifunction Hall, fourth floor* A gathering of the invited guests, representatives of reader and staff of Shanghai Library, regardless they are on active duty, transferred to positions elsewhere or already retired, to review the past and look into the future. A documentary customized for the Diamond Jubilee titled “The Spirit of Books” will also make its debut at the meeting. *5. The International Linked Data Workshop/Tutorial* *Friday July 20 - Sunday July 22* *Rm5304 (July 20), Multifunction Hall (July 21-22)* Linked data is a computing, or more specifically, a semantic web project talk. It describes a method of publishing structured data so that it can be interlinked and become more useful. This is the first-ever training course of its kind held in China which is oriented to participants with ILS background. The invited tutors come from China as well as from abroad such as the U.S and New Zealand.
l Exhibitions *1. A Memoir of 60 Cantabile Years*

*Friday July 20 – Tuesday July 31* *Catalogue Hall, First floor* The main exhibition in celebration of the 60th anniversary of Shanghai Library in a retrospect through our beginnings in 1952 to the present days, divided into chapters from a replay of the library history to facts & figures about our collections, treasures, services and the library “Who’s who”. The Chinese calligraphic handwriting “春华秋实岁月如歌” of the exhibition title is dedicated by Mr Yang Zhenwu, the Chief of Shanghai Municipal Cultural Administration and Chairman, Shanghai International Cultural Communication Association. *2. The 2012 Exhibition of Selected Treasures* *Friday July 20 – Tuesday July 31* *Exhibition Hall No. 1, West Wing* The annual feast to the eyes showcasing the rare and precious historical items held by Shanghai Library in a straightforward 7 years. This year’s show, in antiphony with the hail of our 60th birthday, comprises 60 pieces of iconic and very unique selected treasures in ten categories, i.e. ancient books, inscription rubbings, letters, archives, modern literatures, revolutionary literatures, maps and atlases, foreign language documents, manuscripts and ex libris.

*3. Art Works by Staff of the Chinese Public Libraries* *Friday July 20 – Tuesday July 24* *Exhibition Hall No. 2, West Wing* An art show featuring 82 art works in many different styles and genres including calligraphies, traditional Chinese paintings and western oil paintings, seal-cuttings, engravings, poster designs and photographs, contributed by 80 artists coming from public libraries from almost all parts of China. The exhibits will come into the collections of Shanghai Library and will tour around the country in the future.