On 23 April “World Book Day", the Shanghai Library launched a special live broadcast event, "Shanghai Library Tonight — Reading Lights Up the City"   in the reading season of "Chasing Dreams, Reading and Enjoying the Future" in 2020, and brought readers a unique “cloud meeting” and an unprecedented opportunity for communication on the cloud.

April 23 is the annual "World Book Day". Every year on this day, many countries in the world will organize a variety of events and reading promotion activities, and this day is also called "the festival of readers." However, the "World Book Day" in 2020 is extraordinary. At this moment, the world is still struggling against the new COVID-19 epidemic. The virus not only threatens people's health, but also tests the minds of countless people.

In this special "World Book Day", the Shanghai Library initiated a special event during the period of the orderly opening up for the epidemic prevention and control, and adopted the currently most popular presentation method: cloud live broadcast. The Library launched the third "Shanghai Library Tonight”, meeting with readers and friends on the "cloud", and narrating the history, present and future of Shanghai Library. Lou Wei, Chairman of the Shanghai Library board, turned on the 100-year-old record player in the Shanghai  Library's special collection and kicked off the "Shanghai Library Tonight” with a lovely old melody, "Hua Hao Yue Yuan".

Lou Wei launched "Shanghai Library Tonight”

On the day of the live broadcast, "Advancing forward—Exhibition on Celebrities’ Manuscripts of Anti-epidemic Messages from All Walks of Life in 2020 opened  in the Shanghai Library. This exhibition displays 96 manuscripts of anti-epidemic messages written by famous people from all walks of life and 30 anti-epidemic objects with historical values donated by anti-epidemic frontline workers, journalists and organizations.

Zhou Deming shows readers the cloud-based exhibition.

In addition to the exhibition on Manuscripts of Anti-epidemic Messages, in order to accommodate the readers' memory of the Shanghai Library, librarians led the readers through the camera to visit the various spaces of the Shanghai Library, including the 170-year-old Xujiahui Library, the Innovation. New Space of the future library design, as well as the East Building of the Shanghai Library, which is under construction, so that readers can have a first glance of the new building, which integrates inspiration, learning, communication and innovation in one space.

He Jianming, Fan Jinshi and Chen Chao talk about "how to find the beauty of reading"

In this live broadcast, three guests, He Jianming, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Writers Association, Fan Jinshi, Honorary Dean of the Dunhuang Research Institute, and Chen Chao, Director of the Shanghai Library, were invited to conduct a live dialogue on the theme of "How to Find the Beauty of Reading in the Age of Big Data?" In the live broadcast, Fan Jinshi specially donated her signed book "Archaeological Report on Cave 266-275 of Mogao Grottoes", and the manuscript of He Jianming’s poem "It Feels so Good Seeing the Sun” is also on display in the first exhibition hall of the Shanghai Library. The library issued a donation certificate to both of them and expressed its sincere gratitude.

Chief Librarian of the British Library and the director of the Milan Central Library, Italy, also came to recommend books through the VCR, which has truly made reading go beyond borders.

Liu Wei announced the issue of the “2019 Shanghai Public Libraries Reading Report ''.

Liu Wei, deputy director of the Shanghai Library, released the "2019 Shanghai Public Libraryies Reading Report" on the spot. In 2019, 739,400 readers checked out books and periodicals from the Shanghai Public Libraries, and the number of circulation of books and periodicals reached over 62.72 million. The reader with the top book loan record borrowed 1,703 books from the library.

Lin Jun shared the design idea of Shanghai Library’s cultural creativity

Lin Jun, deputy director of the Shanghai Library, introduced to readers the new design and new gameplay of Shanghai Library’s cultural creativity products.

Readers who are interested in the restoration of ancient books are also greeted with an eye-catching opportunity. In the live broadcast, not only research librarians provided recommendations on a list of rare books in the collection of the Shanghai Library, but also librarians of the library’s ancient books protection and restoration department of the Historical Document Center gave a live demonstration.