April 23rd, 2015 was the 20th annual "World Reading Day". On that day, the Library of the Open University of China (OUC) unveiled a nationwide reading campaign for 2015, with “an overall deployment of school-running system, benefiting peripheral community residents, and organizing theme reading by the OUC” as their working method.

The theme of the nationwide reading campaign of the school-running system of the OUC for 2015 is “Digital Learning, Reading Dream”. The campaign focuses on promoting digital reading among students and teachers, assisting basic learners from both urban and rural areas, and is based on the development of citizen learning and community education. The campaign promotes the efficient integration of digital literature resources & reading services and the needs of readers; creates a strong atmosphere of “loving to read and reading good books”; and establishes a nationwide reading brand.

"Exploring and establishing digital library services for community residents" is a key innovative goal for the OUC Library in conducting the 2015 nationwide reading campaign. In addition, this work will also be a basic service for the construction of the Open University for Older Adults teaching site.

The relevant staff of the OUC Library and the Open University for Older Adults visited the Cultural Activity Centre located in the Wanshoulu Sub-District Office, Haidian District, Beijing. Together with the staff of the Sub-District Office, they launched a pilot campaign of digital library services for local community residents. They also provided training on how to get engaged in “digital reading” at the cultural activity centre.

During the "walking through the community" activity, Xu Hemeng, Deputy Director of Wangshoulu Sub-District Office, on behalf of the Sub-District Office, extended his gratitude to the OUC for providing access to the abundant services of the digital library. He added that since the founding of the Cultural Activity Centre at that location, the Centre had been conducting relevant services and research. He hoped that with the digital library services provided by the OUC, the Cultural Activity Centre can bring its functions into full play, providing basic practical cultural education services for local residents.

According to Deputy Curator of the OUC Library Zhao Xuan, the Cultural Activity Centre of Wangshoulu Sub-District Office is a teaching site of the Open University for Older Adults, and by utilizing the infrastructure of the OUC Library, will provide sound services. Zhao Xuan hoped that the local community residents could make full use of the resources of the Library, using the digital library as a new channel for local cultural construction and information services.
 

                 Training on How to Use the OUC Digital Library for the Community Residents

Zhang Hongli, a teacher from the Library, introduced the benefits of digital reading, how to do digital reading, and explained in detail some digital reading techniques for about 30 community service staff and local residents. According to the residents participating in the training, through the training, their understanding for the OUC and its digital library has been deepened, and the training has aroused their desire for study and reading. They would like to express their gratitude for what the OUC has done for them.

 
                                           Poster of Themed Book-Reading Campaign

On April 23rd, the OUC Library formally launched "themed book-reading" campaign, with the first season of themed reading entitled “Internet Thinking· Internet+”.

"Themed Book-Reading" campaign will offer "Internet Thinking, Internet+", “Big Data”, “MOOC”, “The 3rd Anniversary of the Founding of the OUC”, “Chinese Dream, OUC Dream” and other reading themes within the year. The OUC will also collect relevant books and literature in the Reader Centre, and offer book lending services and reader exchanges. At the Reader Centre of the Library, the OUC set up the special bookshelf for the theme of "Internet Thinking, Internet+". It is found that the books displayed in this area have a higher lending rate, and much positive feedback and reading notes have been received from readers.

 
     Poster of “Internet Thinking, Internet+” for the First Season of the Book-Reading Campaign

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              By Zhao Xuan, the OUC