" (Commemorative Collection of Academic Papers for the Centennial of Mr. Liu Guojun)"

Author: Xiao Dongfa, Liu Ziheng, Wang Yuguang, Zhang Han, etc.
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Publish Date: 1999-11-01
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Excerpt:
Biography of Mr. Liu Guojun
Mr. Liu Guojun, styled Hengru, was born on November 15, 1898, in Nanjing, Jiangsu, and passed away on June 27, 1980, in Beijing. He was a renowned librarian, educator, member of the China Association for Science and Technology, and held numerous positions during his lifetime, including Honorary Council Member of the China Library Society, Advisor to the Translation Committee and Classification Committee of the China Library Society, Director of the Library Department at Peking University, Member of the Academic Committee at Peking University, Member of the Library Working Group of the National Science and Technology Commission, Advisor to the Beijing Library, and Researcher. From the 1920s to his passing in the 1980s, Mr. Liu dedicated 60 years to research, publishing numerous articles, monographs, and translations in library science and the history of books, making significant contributions to the development of theory and methods in library work. He was erudite and knowledgeable, with expertise in philosophy and religious studies. In 1915, Mr. Liu entered the College of Liberal Arts at Jinling University. After graduating in 1920, he remained at the library of Jinling University. At that time, China was in a period of turbulence and transformation. The New Culture Movement, which began in 1917, infused new vitality into Chinese intellectual and ideological circles, with democracy and science becoming the pursuit of the time. Many Western scholars came to China to teach, introducing advanced academic ideas to Chinese intellectuals. Against this academic backdrop, the "New Library Movement" emerged in China's library field. Prior to this, library science in China had not yet become an independent discipline but was integrated into traditional fields such as bibliography, textual criticism, and codicology. Libraries still retained many traces of traditional book collections. Although some Western library ideas, methods, and technologies had been introduced, both modern libraries and modern library science were still in their infancy during this period. The New Library Movement applied the ideas of the New Culture Movement to library work and research, advancing the modernization of Chinese libraries. This intellectual trend had a profound impact on Mr. Liu, instilling in him a deep sense of democracy and science, which became the starting point and driving force behind his decades of research. After working at the library of Jinling University for some time, Mr. Liu studied abroad in the United States, earning a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin. His time in the U.S. allowed him to directly engage with advanced Western library thought and theory. At that time, Dewey's pragmatic philosophy was deeply reflected in library construction, giving the American library field a vibrant and upward momentum. Witnessing the vast differences between Chinese and American libraries, Liu Guojun wrote a series of articles introducing modern libraries, such as "The Nature and Function of Modern Libraries," "Children's Libraries and Children's Literature," "An Overview of American Public Libraries," and "On the Organization of Cataloging Work in Large Libraries." In 1925, after completing his studies, Mr. Liu returned to China and served as the Director of the Library at Jinling University, concurrently teaching as a professor in the College of Liberal Arts. In practical library work, he focused his efforts on the study of classification systems, a pressing issue for Chinese libraries at the turn of the 20th century. During this period, a large number of Western scientific and technical books were introduced to China, but the traditional Four-Part Classification System could no longer meet the needs of the new situation. To address this, many libraries adopted a hybrid system, using the Four-Part System for Chinese books and new methods for Western books. However, this approach was merely a temporary measure due to its lack of completeness and scientific rigor. In 1909, the Dewey Decimal Classification was introduced to China, and many attempts were made to develop a unified classification system for both Chinese and Western books based on it, such as Shen Zurong and Hu Qingsheng's "Dewey Decimal Classification Adaptation," Du Dingyou's "World Book Classification," and Wang Yunwu's "Unified Classification System for Chinese and Foreign Books." However, these systems did not break free from the Dewey framework, either imitating or supplementing it, and were not fully suitable for the specific conditions of Chinese books. Therefore, Mr. Liu's goal was to develop a practical classification system that abandoned the Dewey Decimal System. While conducting research, he also actively participated in academic conferences and activities. In September 1925, the China Library Association established five committees: Library Education, Classification and Cataloging, Indexing, and Publishing. Mr. Liu and Du Dingyou were appointed as the Chair and Vice Chair of the Publishing Committee, respectively. In the autumn of 1928, the College of Liberal Arts at Jinling University began offering library courses, and Mr. Liu taught alongside Xiaoliyuan and Wan Guoding.
Postscript:
Postscript
Mr. Liu Guojun was one of the most outstanding, prolific, and influential academic masters in the history of Chinese library science in the 20th century. To commemorate the centennial of his birth, the Department of Information Management at Peking University, the Department of Information Management at Nanjing University, and the Gansu Library jointly initiated and organized the "Academic Symposium on the Centennial of Mr. Liu Guojun." The theme of the symposium was "Mr. Liu Guojun and the 20th-Century Chinese Library Movement." Since the call for papers was issued in August 1998, it received an enthusiastic response from researchers both at home and abroad. By September 15, 1999, over 70 papers had been submitted, with additional contributions received afterward that could not be included in the proceedings. This collection is divided into five parts: Part I includes biographical articles and commemorative essays on Mr. Liu Guojun, covering different historical periods such as his studies at the University of Wisconsin, his tenure at Jinling University, his pioneering work at the National Northwest Library, and his teaching at the Library Department of Peking University. Part II contains papers that discuss Mr. Liu Guojun's academic achievements in various fields of library science, including library theory, library services, library education, the history of Chinese books, the history of bibliography, book classification, library catalogs, and library automation. Part III features a broader range of papers, some of which had to be abridged due to their length, and the authors are kindly requested to understand this limitation. Part IV includes abstracts of selected contributions due to the limited space in this volume. Part V presents a chronological bibliography of Mr. Liu Guojun's writings and translations. Through these articles and bibliographies, we can see that Mr. Liu Guojun's life was one of continuous learning, progress, innovation, and dedication, yielding abundant achievements. He loved and remained loyal to the library profession he served, always staying at the forefront of academic research, closely connecting with societal needs, and promptly addressing pressing issues in library development. He adhered to the principle of linking theory with practice, continuously enriching and developing library science theory based on practical experience. Through this book, we can also see that Mr. Liu Guojun's legacy and writings have had a far-reaching impact, educating and nurturing a large number of talents who have contributed numerous academic achievements in his honor. This demonstrates that Mr. Liu Guojun's work and writings have been inherited and carried forward, with even greater significance. In compiling this collection, Xiao Dongfa, Liu Ziheng, Wang Yuguang, and Zhang Han undertook the editorial work, with strong support from the Beijing Library Press. Xue Meihua and Zhao Lishen also contributed significantly. Due to time and skill limitations, any shortcomings in this volume are sincerely hoped to be pointed out by the readers. September 20, 1999