The evolving role of university libraries

On a morning in early September, at Tsinghua University Library, the doors of the reading room are pushed open to reveal rows of wooden desks beneath green-shaded lamps, standing in quiet readiness for students returning for the new semester.

Just beyond a wall lie the "Glass Stacks", where sunlight streams through tall window frames and falls upon rows of bookshelves that have witnessed a century of academic lineage — the very place Qian Zhongshu (1910-98), a Chinese scholar and writer who studied here, famously pledged to "read his way through the entire collection of Tsinghua University Library" during his student years.

This is an ordinary day for a university library, yet it captures a broader transformation unfolding across the higher education landscape: the redefinition of what university libraries stand for. The culture embedded in university libraries is shifting from primarily preservation-focused to living transmission-oriented, and young people emerge as the participants, interpreters and co-creators of this inheritance.

The roots of civilization

Stepping into the Glass Stacks in Tsinghua University Library feels like walking into a tunnel where time stands still. Flanking the narrow aisle, tall steel bookshelves with towerlike walls and a cool metallic sheen are lined with Chinese and Western volumes whose worn pages bear marginalia left by generations of scholars during their student days.

The century-old glass floor underfoot reveals faint glimmers of the level below, while long overhead lights stretch deep into the distance, guiding one's focus toward a small window at the far end bathed in warm natural light.

Yin Xin, deputy director of the Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections at Tsinghua University Library, explains the deeper philosophy behind the space: "The Glass Stacks remain entirely as they were — the steel shelves, the glass floor, all original. Many of the volumes bear notes and markings left by students from earlier generations.

"When students see these books and this library, it offers an immersive experience very different from classroom lectures. It carries the academic footprints of earlier scholars and also traces the evolution of China's library system," says Yin.

The library's Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections houses more than 28,000 titles and 222,500 volumes of ancient texts, including 1,885 titles of rare books and 425 unique copies.

For freshman Xu Yitian, majoring in theoretical and applied mechanics at Tsinghua University, this sense of immersion took hold the moment he entered the historic library building. "I climbed the spiral staircase flanked by marble walls, with a decorative lantern on the ceiling and vintage green-shaded lamps on the desks. The place is steeped in history," says Xu.

For Kang Yu, a clinical medicine student at Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, this cultural resonance feels equally tangible. "The brush calligraphy by ancient scholars on images of original ancient book pages gives me a tangible connection with traditional culture," he says.

If the Glass Stacks let young people witness the continuity of knowledge, the Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang Study — known as part of the "Master's Study" — in the same historic building puts a human face on that legacy.

Step into the Qian Zhongshu and Yang Jiang Study in the old building of Tsinghua University Library, and time seems to freeze. Several sets of wooden glass bookcases stand against the walls, with yellowed books neatly lined up, exuding the subtle fragrance of years gone by. Every piece of furniture, every book and every detail here is more than mere furnishings; they tell a story in silence.

He Yu, director of the Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections, elaborates on the concept: "Yang Jiang once said that reading is like paying a casual visit to someone; each book is a visit to a person's home. Reading is not just about absorbing words — it is about getting to know the author's life."

Living heritage

Seeing is only the first step of inheritance, not the final destination. For culture to truly take root in the hearts of young people, it must be made tangible and accessible.

At Beijing Normal University, a special textbook exhibition traces a distinct "cultural vein" of education. Upon entering the library, visitors see representative textbooks from different eras laid flat in rows of wooden-framed glass display cases.

The crisp clarity of glass and the warm texture of wood complement each other, presenting documents once kept in closed storage in an approachable way. Strolling past the display cases is like journeying through China's educational history.

Hu Shenqiu, an associate research librarian at Beijing Normal University Library, says that textbooks have long been one of the library's signature collections. First assembled in the 1930s, the collection has grown over nearly a century to include more than 80,000 titles and over 240,000 volumes of textbooks spanning all educational levels and subjects.

"Textbooks are an integral part of their time. In many ways, they shape the person you grow into," says Hu.

When displayed in the library, textbooks transcend their role as mere teaching tools and become witnesses to the spiritual growth of generations. For young people, they offer not just knowledge, but answers to questions about their origins and their path forward.

Even as AI enables instant access to information and learning anytime and anywhere, the role of authoritative "guides" remains as vital as ever, according to Hu.

"These time-tested textbooks were meticulously compiled by leading scholars and scientists of each era. They embody systematic knowledge frameworks, rigorous academic standards and enduring educational missions that are fundamentally different from the fragmented information delivered by AI," says Hu.