LIU Xiaodong, MIAO Meijuan
LIBRARY TRIBUNE. 2025, 45(5): 35-42.
The article analyzes the advantages,disadvantages and future development path of Guangzhou’s “City of Libraries” from an international comparative perspective,in order to provide theoretical basis and practical inspiration for Guangzhou to build an internationally leading public library service system. Using the methods of literature review and comparative analysis,it conducts a comparative analysis with the international leading cities of Tokyo,New York,and Los Angeles,focusing on infrastructure development,guarantee capacity,resource development,and service efficiency. The study shows that compared with leading international cities such as Tokyo,New York and Los Angeles,Guangzhou’s “City of Libraries” has been in the front ranks of the world in terms of electronic resources and online service visits;and ranked among the leading countries in terms of public library facilities,building area per 10,000 people,and the number of activities. However,there are still some shortcomings with regard to basic resources per capita,professionals,service efficiency,and quality of grassroots libraries. Guangzhou’s advantages in building an internationally leading urban public library service system include enhancing institutional guarantee to improve service efficiency,building a three-level organizational system of“central library- main library- branch libraries”,innovating and expanding new public reading spaces,developing a mechanism for diverse participation by social forces,and focusing on the application of new technologies to create smart venues and services. Meanwhile,its main tasks include developing a world-class public library cluster with Chinese characteristics,promoting the quality and efficiency of grassroots libraries,building a community for the development of public libraries,enhancing the level of smart “City of Libraries”,boosting the integration of library services in the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Bay Area,and deepening international exchanges and cooperation in the “City of Libraries”.