Our news (reported by Zhu Liudi) - Recently, a netizen posted on Weibo that the library of Yinzhou Senior High School in Ningbo, Zhejiang has no walls, no doors, and no guards. Ten thousand books are available for teachers and students to borrow freely. After year-end inventory, it was found that there were 6,000 more books than before, sparking heated discussions.
Yesterday, the librarian, Qu Jiafu, said that in October 2006, the library of Yinzhou Senior High School opened without gates or librarians, and no cameras were installed. There are no magnetic strips in the books, and students can borrow and return books through an operating system entirely on their own. Now, the library's collection has reached over 76,000 volumes, but the online claim that "100,000 books have become 106,000" is not true.
Wang Xianming, the original principal of Yinzhou Senior High School and the initiator of the "doorless library," said that the initial idea behind the "doorless library" was inspired by the lack of reading in middle schools. A "free reading" environment can stimulate students' interest in reading. "We're not afraid that students will steal books; we're most afraid that they don't even have the interest to steal books."
Qu Jiafu introduced that the library has an electronic card-swiping management system. Students only need to swipe their cards and scan the book barcodes to clearly see the borrowing situation. Although there are no librarians, the library still has dedicated personnel responsible for registration, bookkeeping, and organizing books.
Qu Jiafu stated that there have been cases of lost books, but the specific number of lost books has not yet been counted. "From the current borrowing situation, the average borrowing volume per student has significantly increased."
■ Dialogue
"Building a doorless library is for freer reading"
The director of the doorless library, Qu Jiafu, said that this library will continue to maintain a fully open mode
No doors, no guards, no surveillance
Beijing News: Why did you build a "fully open" library at that time?
Qu Jiafu: At that time, Principal Wang Xianming had a relatively new concept. When building the library, after looking at the design drawings, Principal Wang removed the doors and knocked down the walls. He felt that this way, students could read without any pressure, more freely.
Beijing News: How exactly does the library operate?
Qu Jiafu: In a 12-story administrative office building, the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th floors are within the library's scope. Each floor is an open hall filled with bookshelves. Students can enter without swiping cards, there are no surveillance systems, and they can use the self-service system to register borrowed books.
Beijing News: How many self-service borrowing and returning machines are there?
Qu Jiafu: Only two, one for borrowing and one for returning. The library is open all day, and the two systems are sufficient.
Beijing News: Is it open to the public?
Qu Jiafu: The administrative building where the library is located does have doors, and the management personnel will pay attention to the entry and exit of non-school teachers and students.
Beijing News: Is it really as rumored online that there are no managers inside the library?
Qu Jiafu: Not so. I am the director, and I have one assistant, and there is also a staff member specifically responsible for classifying, marking, and shelving books.
Beijing News: Does the school have specific funds for the operation of the library?
Qu Jiafu: There is about 100,000 yuan annually for purchasing books.
Lost book numbers temporarily unknown
Beijing News: Have you counted how many books have been lost since it opened?
Qu Jiafu: The current collection is 76,000 volumes, and the books have been circulating continuously. The next step will be to count the lost books, which may take some time.
Beijing News: Are there preventive measures?
Qu Jiafu: Through machine borrowing, overdue books will be reminded by a dedicated person.
Beijing News: For students who directly take away books, will there be any disciplinary measures?
Qu Jiafu: Still mainly educational, depending on the situation. Serious cases may also be reported to the school's political office.
Beijing News: That is to say, it all depends on the students' self-discipline?
Qu Jiafu: Yes, this cannot be achieved overnight, and it requires the inheritance of the entire school atmosphere. The situation is getting better year by year.
Beijing News: Online rumors say that during the inventory, the library found 6,000 more books.
Qu Jiafu: This is completely nonsense. More books are also because books are purchased and stored every year. It's not like falling from the sky, right?
"Fully open" mode to continue
Beijing News: Does the current status of the "doorless library" meet the original intention?
Qu Jiafu: I would say that the effects are still visible. Generally, in a primary or secondary school library, each student should borrow about 12 books per year. But actually, the average number might be 4-5 books. However, our school reached this number in 2011.
Beijing News: The "fully open" mode has been implemented for nearly 5 years. What do you think are the shortcomings?
Qu Jiafu: There are people who take books without borrowing them, resulting in a shortage of books and journals, but we still have to maintain it. After all, this is a very meaningful and innovative concept.
Reporter Zhu Liudi
■ Netizen Voices
● Great wisdom! Education stems from sincerity and trust!
― Lin Wei Teacher
● This account is well calculated. Schools should not only teach knowledge to students but also cultivate their abilities. Abilities come in many forms, but I believe the most important one is personal self-discipline. It is both respect for rules and respect for oneself.
― Hu Yicuo