The evolving role of university libraries

Spiritual growth

As culture evolves from being "seen" to being "felt", the role of libraries is also transforming. They are neither classrooms nor museums, but "third spaces" sitting in between.

Step into the General Education & Course Reference Hall at Peking University Library, and a 5.4-meter-high wooden book tower stands at the center of view. Layer upon layer of ancient tomes climb upward. Encircling the tower is a blue rippling bookshelf with a perimeter of 54 meters, resembling spreading waves of knowledge.

The hall houses around 20,000 volumes of reference books on the ripple-shaped bookshelves inspired by Weiming Lake, plus about 4,000 general education titles on adjacent shelves. The central Boya Book Tower holds roughly 3,000 copies of historical library books and another 1,000 volumes about Peking University's history and culture. Around 3,500 volumes are displayed on reading tables. The space has proved hugely popular among students and is often packed during graduation season.

Zhang Naishuai, director of the Knowledge Resource Service Center at Peking University Library, says the General Education & Course Reference Hall was designed with the intention of integrating Peking University's culture into the space.

"We hope visitors can feel the atmosphere even when they are not reading here, simply by passing through," says Zhang.

The AI era has driven dramatic shifts in people's reading habits, with many turning to AI for quick solutions instead of reading full-length books, notes Zhang.

"But the depth of knowledge comprehension differs vastly between the two approaches, and AI still has inherent limitations at this stage," says Zhang.

By curating and presenting authoritative literature, libraries allow readers to verify facts and trace sources to classic texts, thus fostering critical thinking, Zhang explains.

"Readers can use AI as a tool while taking authoritative library collections as a reference for verification. The two complement each other, and this process also improves readers' AI literacy. It helps build a more complete knowledge structure and nurtures a well-rounded personality," says Zhang.

Beyond fostering critical thinking and systematic knowledge, the library's immersive cultural atmosphere also resonates with young people from across the globe.

"There are two things that I really like about this library," says Renze Antonie van de Putte, a first-year postgraduate student from the Netherlands at Peking University's School of International Studies.

"First, there are so many Chinese books here. That's a big reason I love this place. When I am in the Netherlands, it is far more difficult to access such books; even my home university does not have a large collection of Chinese titles, and procuring and shipping them from China to the Netherlands is challenging, which is why I love it here. Also, the architecture is amazing here — the combination of modernity and traditional style is remarkable," says Van de Putte.

Space fosters atmosphere, while "shared reading" turns that atmosphere into meaningful human connection. At Minzu University of China, shared reading turns a solitary activity into a collective, interactive experience.

Stepping into the MUC Praxis Archive at Minzu University of China Library, visitors are greeted by a traditional Chinese moon gate window, with lush bamboo shadows outside contrasting with the neat wooden bookshelves lining the interior walls.

Students from various ethnic groups sit around long wooden tables. A teacher stands at the front by a screen, speaking engagingly; students listen intently, jot down notes, and occasionally exchange glances or whisper in discussion. In this space that blends traditional aesthetics with modern pedagogy, young people from all ethnic groups come together, with knowledge and ideas flowing through equal, open dialogue.

Minzu University of China hosts monthly reading events, where the university library selects a number of books from its holdings and invites students to read them.

"The first event was held on April 23 this year," says Guo Yue, a librarian at the library's Department of Ancient Books and Special Collections.

"Students have shown extremely high enthusiasm. Each session offers 20 spots, and they are basically fully booked within five minutes," says Guo.

Liu Mingxin, director and professor of the library, says: "This multiformat, multi-carrier reading model can meet the diverse needs of different students. Peer-to-peer deliberation, exchange and discussion greatly help students develop critical thinking and the capacity for objective judgment. Everyone participates in the conversation on an equal footing."

Jirikeniu, an undergraduate majoring in paleography at the School of Chinese Ethnic Minority Languages and Literatures at Minzu University of China, says this format "differs from regular large-class lectures", and students "get so much more out of it". Jirikeniu, who is from the Yi ethnic group, has grown increasingly confident and articulate since he came to work as a volunteer and study at the library.

"That is a defining feature of our university. We have many students from ethnic areas, and we provide them with more scope to showcase themselves and develop their capabilities," Guo says.

When young people linger in these university libraries, they connect not merely with yellowed pages, but with the living roots of Chinese civilization. What began as scattered initiatives has grown into a systematic practice steadily unfolding across universities, revealing a clear trajectory: from static preservation to living inheritance, and from physical spaces to spiritual homelands. In their own distinctive ways, university libraries are helping cultural inheritance take root in young people's daily lives.

As Jin Jianbin, professor and director of Tsinghua University Library, puts it: "Libraries embody each university's historical heritage and cultural temperament. Every university boasts its unique history and mission. Serving as a silent and nurturing venue, the university library exerts a subtle and enlightening influence on students."