Three years ago, Yuan-Liou Publishing Co chairman Wang Jung-wen (
Wang said that during a visit to Taiwan, Singapore officials were impressed by the elegant Eslite Bookstores, with book lovers standing or sitting inside, zealously absorbing knowledge. The officials proposed opening a branch in Singapore and Eslite conducted an evaluation, but eventually abandoned the plan for various reasons.
The Singapore government then spent several billion US dollars to reorganize the space and service systems of all public libraries, starting with its national libraries. It has successfully given the nation's more than 20 public libraries a makeover modelled on Eslite.
Later, when I attended a conference in Singapore in 2002, I could not miss the opportunity to witness the miracle of Singapore's public libraries, as described by Wang. Although it was late in the evening after the conference, the public library that I visited was still very crowded, and all kinds of people were reading or surfing the Internet. The design was modern and humanized.
"When will libraries like this be seen in Taiwan?" I asked myself.
Unexpectedly, in an effort to rebuild the public libraries in the areas that had suffered the effects of the notorious 921 earthquake, the Council for Cultural Affairs pursued a "golden idea plan," in which every township in the disaster area could submit a proposal for its own ideal library. Last year, the council expanded the plan to the rest of the nation to improve public libraries.
At the moment, almost 300 public libraries are being reorganized, with renovations expected to be completed soon. All the libraries will also be connected through a computer network. Meanwhile, the council is working on plans to create an online book-selection mechanism, which would allow people to reserve books at local as well as national libraries. Officials hope that the bright, new look of these public libraries will create a better climate for reading, and that libraries could benefit from more modern management ideals.
I personally participated in the council's "golden idea plan" as a counselor for several townships. Although the work was exhausting, I deeply felt local residents' strong need for public libraries. Many people are not completely cold about this after all.
After the clamorous presidential election campaign, what the nation needs most is a government that is willing to sow the seeds of knowledge for this land and its people, and to change the public's traditional thinking, as well as officials who "speak less and do more." A good policy needs to be continued. Unfortunately, short-sightedness has become a common problem in today's society.
The gap between Taiwan's urban and rural areas is gradually broadening. If we systematically use a small portion of the wasted expenditures to develop the software and hardware of public libraries, and library manpower as well, I believe that the "fragrance of books" will surely increase while wars of words and violence decrease. It took a great amount of effort for us to get here.
I really hope that the next administration will learn from the Singapore government, and be willing to support the public library improvement plan, as well as related policies, so that even the more remote areas of Taiwan can also enjoy a wonderful reading environment similar to that of Eslite.
Joyce Chen is a professor in the Graduate Institute of Library and Information Studies at National Taiwan Normal University.
TRANSLATED BY EDDY CHANG
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