College and Research Libraries The Role of the Academic Library in the People's Republic of China Richard Ellis This paper examines the role of the university library in China. Three major components of this role are identified. First, the university library is seen as a participant in the educational work of the university. Second, it is seen to be a provider of information that enables researchers in the university to carry out their investigations. Last, the university library has a responsibility to society as a whole. etween September of 1988 and June of 1989, I was an exchange visitor in the Faculty of Library and Information Science of Wu- han University, People's Republic of China. During the latter half of that pe- riod, I carried out a study of the university library system in China. I read most of what was written in the Chinese library journals between 1987 and 1989 about Chinese university libraries, and a great deal of what was published prior to 1987. I spent a week as a guest in the library of Wuhan University, and periods varying from one half day to one full day in the li- braries of eighteen other institutions of higher learning, both in Wuhan and in Nanjing. In each of these libraries, I was able to conduct an interview with either the library director or one or more of the associate directors. One of the focal points of my investiga- tion was the function of the university li- . brary in China. I wished to examine its in- stitutional role, both within the confines of the university, and within society as a whole. I reasoned that the way in which the role of Chinese university libraries was perceived might be reflective of the domi- nant cultural, political, and economic real- ities of China, and that, as these realities are vastly different from those of North America (where I had lived my life until now), so might the role of university li- braries in China be much at variance with the perceived role of university libraries on this continent. In this paper, I will dis- cuss my findings. THE PLACE OF LIBRARIES IN CHINA China has four types of libraries: those in schools (including university libraries), public libraries, libraries associated with the Academica Sinica (a scientific research organization that has many branches throughout China), and union libraries (established in factories for the use of the employees and their families). Huang Zongzhong, in his book Tu-shu guan xue dao-lun (An Introduction to Library Science), discusses the overall position of the Chi- nese library. 1 Huang sees societies as be- ing comprised of a number of systems, among which are those of economics, pol- itics, science, culture, and education. These systems, of which the library sys- tem is another, interact, enhancing and limiting each other. Each is discussed briefly below. Richard Ellis is a Reference Librarian at the Education Library of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2. 329 330 College & Research Libraries The Library and the Economic System The materialistic concept of history has it that social progress is based on produc- tion. As productive ability increases, soci- ety advances. When the level of produc- tion increases, society develops and with it the library system. At the same time, technological development requires more education on the part of large segments of the population. And because libraries play an important role in education, more will be demanded of them in terms of service. Furthermore, it is obvious that the techno- logical advancement of libraries is depen- dent upon the productive ability of a soci- ety, and upon its economic well-being. The Library and the Political System In a socialist society, libraries have a re- sponsibility to educate the populace in so- cialist and communist thought, and to dis- seminate the ideas of Karl Marx. Politics is but an expression of economic fact. There- fore, if economics influences libraries, pol- itics must as well, since politics is a mani- festation of economics. The Library and Science, Culture, and Education Scientific and cultural qdvance is cumu- lative. Libraries retain and transmit rec- ords of this cumulative advance. It is esti- mated that 30 to 50 percent of time spent in scientific research is spent surveying what has already been done. This information is retained in libraries. As education comes to be seen as an ongoing, lifelong process, libraries become society's educational and study centers. In 1956, the national Ministry of Culture in China called a meeting concerning li- braries. An official statement emanating from this meeting asserted that libraries had two main functions: the first was to serve the masses, and the second was to serve scientific research. The latter was largely ignored between 1958 and 1962 and again during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), but was reasserted following the third plenum of the 11th congress of the Community Party of China in 1978. It was at this meeting that scientific, technological, and eco- nomic growth were pronounced to be Chi- July 1990 na's priorities, and, since 1978, the role of the library has been seen as complemen- tary to these priorities. In 1987, three government departments (State Commission for Education, Minis- try of Culture, and the Academica Sinica) combined to issue an official statement concerning libraries. 2 The statement de- clares that libraries are representative of the educational, scientific, and cultural development of mankind and are an inte- gral component of that development. They collect, arrange, and transmit infor- mation. In the interest of economic and scientific development, they carry outed- ucation, universalize cultural knowledge, and provide spiritual nourishment. At the present time, libraries serve the four mod- ernizations (of agriculture, industry, sci- ence and technology, and the military). They serve the masses and socialism. They assist in the development of the new socialist person, that person being one who possesses ideals, morals, culture, and discipline. In order that economic, ed- ucational, and cultural work may be prop- erly executed, the library must be more conscious of its educational and informa- tional responsibilities. Benefit to society is the primary guid- ing principle for libraries. In his commentary on the above state-:- ment, one of the drafters of the document, Bao Zhenxi, states that libraries must re- form if they are to support the four mod- ernizations. The thought of Deng Xiao- ping concerning reform should be studied by libraries for its directing value. Passive service should be replaced by active ser- vice. The work of libraries should be more closely allied to economic development, scientific research, and socialist educa- tion. Benefit to society is the primary guid- ing principle for libraries. Bao says that so- cial benefit is precisely the establishment of the material and spiritual civilization, the furthering of economic development, the spreading of knowledge, the advance- ment of technology, and the creation of the well-rounded citizen. 3 THE FUNCTIONS OF THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY In the post-1978 era, there have been two major documents that have defined the functions of the university library in China. The first of these was promulgated in 1981 by the Ministry of Education fol- lowing the second national meeting con- cerning university libraries (the first had been held in 1956). This document was ti- tled Zhong-hua ren-min gong he guo gao- deng xue-xiao tu-shu guan gong-zuo tiao-li (People's Republic of China Regulations Gov- erning the Work of University Libraries). It states that the university library is the cen- ter of the university. It is an academic unit that serves teaching and scientific re- search. It must fully observe the educa- tional policies of the Communist Party, further the development of the individual for the betterment of socialism, develop education, science, and culture, and sacri- fice toward the building of the material so- cialist culture and of the spiritual socialist culture. Nine duties of the university li- brary are enumerated. Some of these are duties which we in the western world would expect any university library to per- form, namely: collect materials, circulate them, provide readers' assistance to pa- trons, instruct users in use of the library, and engage in cooperative activities with other libraries. One of the nine is, how- ever, unfamiliar to librarians in the west- ern world. This duty is to assist in the ideological education and the political ed- ucation (si-xiang zheng-zhi jiao-yu) of the university of which the library is a part and to disseminate the ideas of Marx and Lenin, the thought of Mao Zedong, and the policies of the government and Party. The second of the two major documents was announced in 1987 following a third national meeting concerning university li- braries. It is called Pu-tong gao-deng xue- xiao tu-shu guan gui-cheng (Regt!.lations Per- taining to University Libraries). 4 (It should be pointed out that, although this docu- ment and that discussed briefly above are 'Regulations', neither has the force of law. They are guidelines only and do not pre- Role of the Academic Library 331 scribe.) This second set of regulations also states that the university library is an aca- demic unit that serves teaching and re- search, and that it must fully observe the educational policies of the Communist Party and government, further individual development for the betterment of social- ism, and sacrifice toward the building of the material socialist and spiritual socialist cultures. In addition to disseminating the ideas of Marx, Lenin, and the thought of Mao Zedong, the university library is en- joined to disseminate the fruits of scien- tific and cultural progress and to carry out educational and informational functions. The clauses ''assist in the ideological ed- ucation and political education of the uni- versity of which the library is a part'' and ''disseminate the policies of the govern- ment and Party'' that appear in the 1981 document have been deleted from the 1987 revision. Part of the former has been watered down to read, ''University li- braries must, according to the needs of ideological and political education, teach- ing, and science ... acquire materials." According to the 1987 document, then, the university library is "to carry out edu- cational and informational functions.'' Ex- tensiv.e reading and interviews with direc- tors of university libraries indicate a consensus that these are, in fact, agreed upon to be the functions of the university library. A third function is sometimes mentioned, that is, the university library as a servant of society beyond the walls of the campus. However, considerable dis- cussion as to what the functions mean in practice exists. In fact, a conference was held in Wuhan in late 1988 on the educa- tional function of the university library, and another in Shanghai in late 1989 on the information function. I devote most of the remainder of this paper to a discussion of these functions. THE EDUCATIONAL FUNCTION OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES Zhang Xuzhi states that the third na- tional meeting concerning university li- braries in China announced four ways in which those libraries can carry out the ed- ucational function: (1) assist in the educa- 332 College & Research Libraries tion of students in their respective areas of specialization, (2) broaden the scope of student knowledge, (3) increase the ability of patrons to use the library, and (4) en- gage in ideological and political educa- tion. 5 Several writers more or less echo this. Zhao Dianqin, for example, states that the educational function includes three elements: thought and moral educa- tion, bibliographic education, and profes- sional education. 6 Song and Zhang be- lieve the university library fulfills its educational function through provision of ideological education, general education, and education specific to students' curric- ular needs. 7 Jilin University addresses the educational function by carrying out polit- ical and ideological education, profes- sional education, and instruction in li- brary use. 8 Using the four ways of addressing the educational function enunciated above by Zhang Xuzhi as my frame of reference, I will, in the following paragraphs, examine how the university library implements them. Assist Student Education in Specialized Areas I found little written on how the univer- sity library renders assistance of this type. The Jilin University Library claims that it does so simply by acquiring material and making it available to patrons either in li- brary reading rooms or through circula- tion. 9 There is a move afoot in China to open university libraries for a greater number of hours weekly. Seventy hours per week is now seen as a desirable mini- mum. The Jilin University Library thinks the very fact that it is open seventy hours weekly constitutes educational service. The director of the library of Nanjing Aeronautical College informed me that his library fulfills its educational role via, among other things, loan of material. Broaden the Scope of Student Knowledge Materials complementary to student classroom study must be made available by the university library. In addition to material of that sort, write Song and Zhang, the library is responsible for intro- ducing students to knowledge in areas July 1990 outside their own particular spheres of ac- ademic specialization. 10 As new fields of knowledge are developed, and are found to overlap traditional fields, it becomes necessary for students to consult materials in these new fields. Presumably the uni- versity library can fulfill this obligation simply by acquiring and making available appropriate books, journals, and so on. Other than in preparation for a grad- uating thesis required in their fourth year of study, undergraduate stu- dents rarely carry out independent li- brary research. It was of great interest to me that refer- ence service as we in North America think of it was not mentioned as a vehicle for ac- complishing the university library's edu- cational goals. In fact, there does not seem to be a history in Chinese university li- braries of providing in-depth reference as- sistance to student patrons. I spoke about this with a department head of the Wuhan University Library. He told me that ques- tions raised by patrons of his library in the course of day-to-day use of the facility are usually fielded by staff of the circulation or reading room departments rather than by staff of the reference department ( can-kao zi-xun zu). (A brief description of the set- up of Chinese academic libraries would probably be helpful here. The public areas of libraries are invariably divided into a number of circulation rooms and reading rooms. For example, the Wuhan Univer- sity Library has a total of six reading rooms that contain monographic material, five that contain journals, and five distinct cir- culation rooms. Books housed in the read- ing rooms may be used only in the library. Each of these rooms has its own staff, who belong to the reading room, periodicals, or circulation departments. The reference department does not staff these public ar- eas.) Reference department staff are re- sponsible only for assembling information about questions large in scope, and gener- ally only for professors. Undergraduate, and even graduate, students are not per- ceived as requiring the type of assistance that is rendered by the reference depart- ment. This reflects the reality of university education in China. Undergraduate stu- dents are generally required by their in- structors to use the library only to examine texts specified by the instructors. Other than in preparation for a graduating thesis required in their fourth year of study, un- dergraduate students rarely carry out in- dependent library research. Increase the Ability of Patrons to Use the Library A number of university libraries offer some sort of instruction in library use to patrons. The South-Central University of Finance, for example, has prepared ali- brary-use booklet that is given to fresh- man students. It has also prepared a video tape introducing the library. The library of Nanjing University gives a mandatory two-hour lecture to first-year students on library use. It is about a much more rigorous form of library instruction, however, a formal course offered to students on document searching and usage, that I would like to write in some detail. In 1984, the State Ed- ucation Commission promulgated the Guan-yu zai gao-deng xue-xiao kai-she ''Wen-xian jian-suo yu li-yong'' ke de yi- jian (Opinion Concerning Universities Offer- ing a Course in Document Retrieval and Us- age). In this directive, the Commission enjoined universities to offer such a course. If conditions permitted, the course was to be mandatory. If conditions were not suitable, the course could be optional or replaced by seminars. The course should be from twenty to forty hours in length and should include: basic knowl- edge of information and searching for in- formation; content, structure, and usage of basic search tools and reference books; reading methodology; information ar- rangement and synthesis; information analysis; and report writing. Theoretical and practical (hands-on) components of the course should be in a ratio of one to one. It should be coordinated by the uni- versity library, but instructors could be drawn from the ranks of the younger pro- Role of the Academic Library 333 fessorate, graduating students, library staff, staff of departmental libraries, or staff of the information office of the uni- versity. The 1987 Regulations Pertaining to Uni- versity Libraries specifies that academic li- braries should educate students in loca- tion of and usage of information resources. The pertinent clause reads as follows: "Libraries of institutions of higher education should mobilize their forces and, 'utilizing a variety of methods, educate readers in location of and usage of information resources. The institutions should include courses in location of infor- mation resources and their use in their course offerings.' ' 11 I found that many, although not all, of the university libraries I visited are in- volved in delivering a course of a nature similar to that described in the 1984 direc- tive discussed above. The Wuhan Univer- sity Library has a staff member whose pri- mary responsibility is organizing courses in document searching and use. The courses are offered by various academic departments within the university and are taught by library staff or by staff of the de- partmental reading rooms (these are ad- ministered by the departments, not by the university library). The courses are tai- lored to the departments in which they are offered. For example, the course given in the economics department emphasizes the literature and bibliographic tools of economics. The courses are optional, are for credit, and are of one semester dura- tion. The library of the China University of Geology began to offer such courses in 1984. Of those students eligible to take the course, about one-half do so. The library of Nanjing Aeronautical College has as- signed four people to teach courses in doc- ument searching and use . All graduate students take the course and about 70 per- cent of undergraduates. The courses have twenty hours of classroom lectures, and additional time for practice during which students work on a research topic of their own choosing. Typically, courses such as the above are given to students in their third or fourth year of study. In the final semester of their fourth year of undergraduate studies, stu- 334 College & Research Libraries dents in universities in China are required to write a thesis. The course is seen as ena- bling them to carry out library research and prepare the thesis. The course is a popular one, I was told by many library di- rectors, and, though usually optional, is selected by a large percentage of students. Engage in Ideological and Political Education It is my impression that universities in North America are little concerned with the overall development of student char- acter. They are, I believe, concerned al- most exclusively with provision of knowl- edge. The university in China is, in theory, required to do much more than merely provide knowledge. It is to be con- cerned with the total personality and thought of the student. That the student be trained to assume a proper social role is a responsibility of the university. The Communist party determines the proper social role. The university in China is to be con- cerned with the total personality and thought of the student. I think it would be of value to quote here from a directive announced in late 1987 by the Communist Party Central Committee. Future undergraduate and graduate students in institutions of higher education should have a firm and correct political orientation, should love the nation and socialism, should support the leadership of the Communist Party, and should study the ideas of Karl Marx. Such stu- dents should ardently reform and be broad- minded, should have the spirit to struggle against adversity, should diligently serve the masses, and should devote themselves to the establishment of Chinese-style socialist mod- ernization. These students should conscien- tiously observe discipline and should have good moral character. They should study dili- gently and master modern scientific and cul- tural knowledge. We wish to select from these students a group to cultivate in communist con- sciousness. The degree to which universities educate people who have the qualities previ- ously mentioned, who have both ability and July 1990 political integrity, and who are able to meet the requirements of the establishment of socialism, is the most indicative sign of the efficacy of those universities. It is this direction that educa- tional reform must take. u In an address to librarians shortly after the announcement of this directive, Peng Peiyun, a high official in the State Com- mission for Education, asserted that the above quote formed the basis for univer- sity activity. 13 He reiterated that universi- ties were to educate morally, as well as transfer knowledge, and . were to strengthen their efforts at ideological and political work. University libraries, said Peng, had an important role in educating people to have both ability and political in- tegrity. He exhorted academic librarians to familiarize themselves with the con- tents of the directive and to consider it their guiding principle. Since this fourth method of fulfilling the educational function of the university li- brary is so foreign to librarians in North America, I will examine it in much more detail than I did the other three methods. The 1987 document concerning univer- sity libraries states that these libraries are to assist in the building of material social- ist and spiritual socialist cultures, to de- velop citizens who will contribute to so- cialism, to disseminate the ideas of Marx and Lenin and the thought of Mao Ze- dong, and to acquire materials according to the needs of (among other things) ideo- logical and political education. My re- search indicates that university librarians perceive student reading as the vehicle by which university libraries address these goals. In fact, academic librarians seem to be quite concerned about the nature of student reading. I came across reports of six different surveys and analyses of stu- dent reading behavior in the year 1988 alone. These surveys, generally speaking, examine student borrowing records to de- termine what kind of books students read and question students regarding types of books they prefer to read and authors whose books they have read. Here is a composite picture of these sur- veys and the manner in which their results are assessed. Articles that discuss these · surveys generally express dismay of vary- ing degrees at student reading habits. A survey conducted at a university of natu- ral science and engineering found that, in 1983, 35.6 percent of books borrowed were in the humanities and social sciences rather than in the sciences. 14 This percent- age increased gradually year by year until it stood at 46.1 percent in 1987. This find- ing indicated to those reporting on the survey that science students were spend- ing an inordinate amount of time reading nonscientific material, material irrelevant to their courses of study. A second compo- nent of the same survey examined the hu- manities and social science reading habits of 407 students in seven science depart- ments. The survey discovered that, of ten categories of books borrowed by these 407 students, by far the three most popular categories were: literature, philosophy (including fine arts, psychology, and logic), and history and biography. The works of Marx, Lenin, and Mao ranked a distant tenth. Of the philosophy books read, the vast majority were translations of the writings of western thinkers such as selected works of Freud and Karl Popper's Conjectures and Refutations. The surveyors found this disturbing. They conjecture that students read western books of phi- losophy rather than the marxist and com- munist classics because courses in com- munist theory offered by universities were of poor quality and did not generate student curiosity, whereas western philo- sophical books were fashionable among students and therefore attracted interest. A third component of the survey exam- ined time spent by students of three sci- ence departments reading novels as a per- centage of their total extra-curricular reading time. Thirty-four percent of the students spent more than one-third of their extracurricular reading time reading novels. For 15 percent of the students, the time was greater than 60 percent. The most popular novels were the Chinese classics, such as The Dream of the Red Cham- ber, and western classics in translation, such as And Quiet Flows the Don and The Red and the Black. However, some students (and the surveyors stressed the signifi- cance of this) immersed themselves in love stories, martial arts stories, or super- Role of the Academic Library 335 natural tales. This type of literature has a corrupting effect, the surveyors felt. The students also, in the eyes of the surveyors, read an inordinate amount of biography. The reason for this, the authors conjec- ture, is that students want to learn how fa- mous people have achieved success in life. This is disturbing, as communist theory does not concern itself with individual success. The authors of the survey report con- cluded that university libraries should be more active in guiding the reading of stu- dents and suggested the formation of campus-wide committees to organize ac- tivities in this area. The committees would be composed of representatives of the li- brary, the university teaching office, prop- aganda department, students' affairs of- fice, and specialists in the social sciences and the humanities. Another survey looked at the reading habits of students at South China Teach- ers' University. 15 The librarians who con- ducted this survey distributed question- naires to students asking what books they felt had influenced them most during their university years, and what authors they most admired. Of the 649 students who completed the questionnaire, 277 listed western books as among those which had had an influence upon them. In fact, of all the books listed (both Chinese and for- eign), the first, third, fifth, and fourteenth most named were from the West. Works of Marx, Lenin, and Mao were seldom mentioned. Of admired authors named by at least three students, thirty were west- ern. The students listed a total of 1,208 names (some of which were, of course, listed by more than one respondent). Of these 1,208, 372 were western and 188 those of writers from Taiwan or Hong Kong. Some of the more admired authors included Dale Carnegie (No.6), Balzac (No.7),· Shakespeare (No.8), Tolstoy (No.10), Mark Twain (No.14), and Hugo and Freud (tied at No.15). A second component of the survey ex- amined 6,200 books borrowed by patrons on April3, 1988. Of these, 1,769 were nov- els (560 of them being translations of west- em novels), and 341 were philosophy (37 of these being by western thinkers). 336 College & Research Libraries Reporting on their survey, the authors concluded that students were very inter- ested in, and influenced by, western cul- ture. They postulate three reasons for this. First, since China opened its doors in 1978, the academic and publishing worlds had imported and translated many books. Second, China had been closed to foreign influence for many years and, conse- quently, things foreign had acquired an aura of mystery. Now that China had opened its doors, people had the desire to investigate these mysteries. Third, uni- versity students were inquisitive and ea- ger to pursue knowledge. Influence of foreign cultures could be both good and bad, argued the authors. On the one hand, study of western culture enabled one to better one's 'four haves' (ideals, morals, learning, discipline). On the other hand, western attitudes to such things as sex were much more liberal than were Chinese attitudes. Books from the west with sexual or erotic content were lia- ble disproportionately to attract student attention. The authors claim that depic- tions of the naked human figure in west- ern books were often found by librarians to be tom from the books, as were discus- sions or descriptions of sex. Western ideas of democracy and freedom could, at a cer- tain level, provoke an undesirable reac- tion in students. Unfortunately, criticism of books only made them sought after all the more. The authors recommended that univer- sity libraries should adopt several meas- ures. They should purchase fewer foreign books (including those from Hong Kong or Taiwan) that were of questionable value. They should evaluate western books for students and direct their selec- tion of reading material. They could hold seminars dealing with books that have controversial content. They could hold seminars or mount exhibits concerning western topics of interest, such as philoso- phy, psychology, public relations, and ethics. The library, in conjunction with the Party office of the university and other university bodies, could intensify its ideo- logical work. Study of Marx, Lenin, and Mao should be increased, and examina- tion of western books should be incorpo- July 1990 rated into ideological education. Yet another survey carried out at Guangxi Agricultural University revealed that, between 1982 and 1987 inclusive, 48.4 percent of borrowed books were clas- sified in the literature classification sched- ule.16 Of these, most were novels. Books about agriculture numbered only 13 per- cent. Relatively few students read the communist classics. Less than one-half of one percent of borrowed books were of this category. A fourth survey, at Wuhan University, asked 654 students what books had influenced them the most. 17 Ninety-five percent of books named were in areas other than the areas in which the respondents were studying and the types of books named most frequently were novels, philosophy, and biography. Authors of both studies concluded that student interest in their own disciplines was declining. The author of the first study speculated that students read nov- els merely to pass the time and for stimula- tion, and that these were poor reasons. He concluded that students lacked restraint, that they lacked faith in politics, and that they lacked interest in their courses of study. The authors of the second of these studies were, on the contrary, inclined to be satisfied with student reading. They cautioned against attempting to prevent students from reading western books or those from Taiwan or Hong Kong. Cen- sorship was not an answer, they felt. It would only create an adverse student re- action. As well, they argued, many books criticized in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s had been re-evaluated and declared to be acceptable and even truthful in the 1980s. Authors of the report on the Wuhan sur- vey recommended increasing the variety of books available to students in the uni- versity library and guiding them in an ap- propriate direction. Purchase of martial arts or so-called 'yellow' books (that is, those with sexual content) should be re- stricted. Guidance of students could be undertaken by preparation of bibliogra- phies on topics of interest to students, or of critiques of popular books, authors, or representative works on various subjects. Seminars could be held on topics of stu- dent interest and a notice board could be constructed for announcements of new books and publishing activities, introduc- tions to authors, and notices of reading ac- tivities. In the libraries visited, I often saw writ- ten introductions to, or evaluations of, new library acquisitions. These were usu- ally mounted on bulletin boards in areas of the libraries adjacent to card catalogs, at the entrances to the libraries, or in heavily- travelled hallways. They were usually written by library staff, although some- times by students or professors. I occa- sionally saw billboards on which were mounted newspaper clippings about po- litical events in China. Presumably the in- tention was to raise the political con- sciousness of library patrons. The library watches over the thought and attitude of its own staff. It was of great interest to me that Chi- nese librarians perceive their own attitude to their work and to their clientele as being a potentially benign influence on the over- all development of student character. As the director of the library of the Wuhan College of Physical Education told me, the educational function of the university li- brary addresses both the intellectual knowledge students require and their moral and ideological development. The library watches over the thought and atti- tude of its own staff. Staff, in the manner in which they serve the clientele of the li- brary, educate by example. This senti- ment is reiterated by Li Jilin. 18 He claims that library staff, by their attitude to their jobs, educate students. Library staff, ad- monishes Li, must be both knowledgeable and red. How can libraries ensure that their em- ployees have the correct attitudes? Some university libraries have a written code of behavior to which employees are sup- posed to adhere. The code of Huanggang College of Education, for example, asks that employees: neither arrive for work late nor leave early, neither read books nor newspapers on the job, provide quick ser- Role of the Academic Library 337 vice to library users, treat patrons with courtesy and humility, and use polite lan- guage when talking with patrons, the po- lite language to include such phraseology as 'please,' 'th~you,' 'I'm sorry,' 'com- rade,' and 'please come again.' Sun Xuanyin maintains that academic li- braries must educate their own employees to undertake service to clientele with en- thusiasm, to be mannerly to patrons, and to create an atmosphere in which study can take place. 19 Employees' knowledge of the thought of Marx, Lenin, and Mao, and of library work, should be increased. He feels all employees should wear a stan- dard form of dress and be supplied with a badge indicating who they are. Of these I saw no evidence in any of the libraries I visited. At Jianghan University in Wuhan, the library organized a course of study for library department heads. They perused pertinent works of Mao to rectify their thinking and improve their job perfor- mance. They also studied the relevant statements of current Party leaders. The reaction of the department heads was re- portedly, "This course increased our knowledge of the importance of lower level staff in the library, increased our sense of duty, and enabled us to perceive our responsibility to our work. " 20 At Jishou University, library employees who are members of the Communist Party are inculcated with the Party philosophy and with the library philosophy of service to users. 21 Presumably this would be done at weekly political meetings in which em- ployees of most work units in China are encouraged, if not required, to partici- pate. THE INFORMATIONAL FUNCTION OF UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES Since the emergence of information sci- ence as a discipline in China, it has -been seen as distinct from, and more presti- gious than, library science. Government departments at various levels established information branches ( qing-bao suo) and universities created information offices (qing-bao shi) that were administratively and physically independent of their li- braries. In the last few years, however, it 338 College & Research Libraries has come to be seen that information sci- ence and library science do share common features, and the tendency within univer- sities is now to incorporate their informa- tion offices into their libraries. According to Peng Peiyun, more than one-half the universities in China had established in- formation centers by 1987 (according to the latest official statistic now available, China had 1,053 academic libraries in 1987) and, of these, most were in the li- braries of these universities. 22 Universities in China are perceived, as are universities in North America, to be centers for both teaching and research. Of the dual functions of the university li- brary, that of educator is seen as serving the former, while that of information pro- vider is seen as serving the latter. Wang Aiwu defines the informational function of the academic library to be ". . . utiliza- tion of documents to effect large scale, speedy, and systematic transmittal of sci- entific and technical information.''23 With the explosive development of science and technology, writes Wang, has come a cor- responding explosion of documents. As higher education becomes more closely related to production and research and strengthens its ties to society as a whole, university education and research alter dramatically. A demand for information is created which challenges academic li- braries to become disseminators of scien- tific information. From my reading and visits to libraries, the following are methods by which aca- demic librarians perceive that the informa- tional function of the university library can be addressed: 1. Current material must be obtained. This can be done by the traditional pur- chase of books and journals. As well, larger academic libraries in China often operate very active exchange programs with other universities and research orga- nizations both in China and abroad. These exchange programs generally involve di- rect transfer of free copies of documents or other publications from one institution to another without going through a formal order process. Jilin University, for exam- ple, claims to have acquired 28,000 books July 1990 via exchange with foreign sources be- tween 1982 and 1987.24 By 1988, the library had active exchange agreements with 102 institutions in seventeen countries. Aca- demic libraries in China are particularly eager to initiate exchange agreements with institutions overseas. During my vis- its to libraries, I was asked on at least two occasions about the possibility of conclud- ing some sort of agreement. Material ob- tained via exchange is often shelved sepa- rately from that obtained via the conventional order process. 2. Information can be made accessible via preparation of indexes, abstracts, and translations. There is no tradition in China of publication of bibliographic tools by commercial organizations. Information offices of a number of central government departments publish a variety of indexes to scientific literature and many university libraries subscribe to English-language in- dexes and abstracts such as Engineering In- dex, Chemical Abstracts, and Biological Ab- stracts. However, there is a dearth of bibliographic tools in the social sciences and humanities, and it is common for uni- versity libraries to take upon themselves the task of index or abstract preparation. This task is seen to address the library's in- formation function. To cite two examples, the library of Jilin University prepares lists of imported sci- ence books that it distributes to other li- braries.25 Lanzhou University library has published a total of twenty special indexes and bibliographies between 1978 and 1986 including such titles as Bibliography of Japa- nese Journals in Gansu Province and The Study of Law. 26 3. Chinese language translations of for- eign language articles can be prepared. China, in its drive to modernize, is ham- pered by a lack of Chinese language mate- rial and relies heavily on information from western countries such as the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany, and countries of Asia such as the Soviet Union and Japan. Relatively few Chinese can read English or other foreign lan- guages; so translation service is essential. Academic libraries usually employ gradu- ates of foreign language departments rather than graduates of library schools to undertake translation work. The library of Wuhan College of Physical Education has an information department staffed by three individuals whose responsibility it is to translate items from German, English, and Russian into Chinese. The transla- tions are published in a journal. The infor- mation department of Wuhan College of Industry employs two English and Rus- sian specialists who translate material for campus personnel. 4. Literature reviews, syntheses, evalu- ations, and bibliographies of current ac- quisitions can be written. State-of-the-art reports on certain topics in science and technology are of value to researchers in the academic community, while subject bibliographies can enable university re- searchers to keep abreast of new develop- ments in their fields. 5. Books and journals can be published. The Beijing University of Agricultural En- gineering has, since 1982, published ten books about mechanization in agriculture. Titles include Agricultural Technology and Economics Information and The Development of Agricultural Machinery in China. The in- formation department of Wuhan College of Industry prints a monthly newsletter called Libraries and Information. The Nanj- ing College of Agriculture is in the process of setting up the Nanjing Agricultural In- formation Center which will, when on its feet, publish a quarterly journal on agri- cultural education. 6. In-depth responses to requests for detailed information from professors, and sometimes from the off-campus commu- nity can be provided. For example, the li- brary of Wuhan Water Transport Engi- neering College prepares subject-specific bibliographies on demand for professors. The bibliographies are sent to the profes- sors, who indicate which documents they wish to see and then return the bibliogra- phies to the library which will attempt to obtain the desired documents. (Literature searches are still a manual procedure in al- most all university libraries in China. China has no online databases of its own, and few organizations are equipped or au- thorized to access foreign database ven- Role of the Academic Library 339 dors such as DIALOG or the European Space Agency.) THE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ASA SERVANT OF SOCIETY There are good arguments offered to substantiate the view that the university library has a third function, that of provi- sion of service to society at large. Yang Xiaohua thinks that provision of such ser- vice is a pressing need. He argues that Chinese commerce has expanded dramat- ically since 1978 and requires current sci- entific and technical information to permit increased production. Results of scientific and technical research are available in aca- demic libraries more so than in public li- braries. Additionally, Yang asserts, social change has created a need for individuals in the workforce to undertake additional study in their leisure hours, and public li- braries alone cannot meet the demand for study material. 27 According to 1984 statistics, public li- braries average only .25 books per person while university libraries av- erage 130 books per student. Further, Zhao Zhiwei states that only 570,000 of China's 1986 population of one billion had access to a public library. 28 (Ac- cess to public libraries in China is not a universal right as it is in North America. Obtaining a card to use a public library is not a simple matter. In Wuhan, for exam- ple, although the metropolitan population is 4,000,000, the city library has issued only 30,000 usage cards. It is thought that that library does not have the resources, facility, or personnel to serve a greater number of people.) According to 1984 sta- tistics, public libraries average only .25 books per person while university li- braries average 130 books per student. 29 University libraries are, therefore, supe- rior to public libraries in terms of resources and in terms of staff quality and equip- ment quality as well. Thus, it can be ar- 340 College & Research Libraries gued, university libraries should open to the public. Zhao Zhiwei thinks that, in a socialist state, university libraries have a public ob- ligation. 30 Xia Xuming believes that, if uni- versity libraries in capitalist countries like the United States can offer public service, those in a socialist country should be even more willing to do so. Xia further argues that opening the university library to soci- ety as a whole will encourage resource sharing. It might appear to be an unequal exchange, admits Xia, but, since society will benefit from access to the university li- brary and, as the university library is a part of society, then the university library will, ipso facto, also benefit. 31 Yang Xiaohua and Muo Kaixin offer similar versions of yet another argument for service to the public by university li- braries. 32' 33 They claim that the resources of university libraries are underutilized, a theme in a number of articles. According to Yang, there are over two billion books in academic libraries in China, whereas average annual circulation is only 600 mil- lion. Opening the university library to more users would have the happy effect of increasing use of library materials. Several articles suggest ways in which the academic library can open its doors to the public. Yang lists five possible meth- ods: issue borrower cards to outsiders, of- fer information service to the public, hold seminars on topics of public interest, offer courses in library science, and offer photo- copying, microfilming, and tape copying service to the public. Yang would not have academic libraries willy-nilly distribute li- brary cards to everyone. Rather, he says, their distribution should be limited to those persons who have a demonstrable need to use the library. He mentions a hy- droelectric college library that has granted borrowing privileges to people who live or work in the neighborhood of the college and are involved with hydroelectric power. He also mentions provincial asso- ciations that have issued cards to profes- sors enabling them to use (though not to borrow from) any academic library in their province of issue. Yang would like to see issuance of such cards extended to high- ranking engineers and doctors and to July 1990 technical personnel of mid-rank and above. 34 Zhang Weiqiang is of the opinion that academic libraries can provide user cards to off-campus enterprises and individuals engaged in scientific research, produc- tion, education, and management. They can set up public information search units within the library structure as was done at the Beijing University Library. They can offer additional training to those people already employed in libraries. This is al- ready done at Anhui University. The li- brary of that institution offers a three-year course leading to a diploma in librarian- ship. 35 To these ways in which academic li- braries can offer public service, Muo adds an additional two: set up special reading rooms with special material for outside pa- trons, and present unwanted books to public libraries. 36 At the present time, China has an eco- nomic campaign to develop business en- terprise in small urban centers and in the countryside. University libraries, asserts Wang Licheng, should support this cam- paign via information supply. University libraries can survey local campaign activ- ity, select a few enterprises to which they can supply information based on library holdings, and prepare bibliographies of their pertinent holdings for distribution to the enterprises. Personnel employed by these enterprises could be instructed by the library in information location, and the enterprises could be granted institutional borrower cards. Wang cautions, however, that service to outside enterprise is sec- ondary to service to the university com- munity. Perhaps service to the former could be limited to slack periods in the university year, such as student winter and summer vacations. 37 In my talks with academic library direc- tors, I found it generally accepted that the university library does have an obligation to offer service to all society. However, by North American standards, the extent to which such service is actually offered is lim- ited. As of April 1989, the library of the South-Central University of Finance had is- sued some 300 borrowers' cards to corre- spondence students, students of the na- tional television university, and local businesses such as banks. Nanjing Aero- nautical College permits personnel from re- search institutes and persons involved in factory management to use the library reading rooms and borrow books. The li- brary of the Nanjing College of the Arts opens its doors to noncollege specialists in art every Saturday morning. Two of the directors stated that, since their universities were located somewhat distant from potential off-campus users, there was little call to serve that clientele. A~other said that other university li- braries were better able than his to do so. Two more were of the opinion that their li- braries were inadequately equipped to serve the off-campus community. One of the directors told me that, although uni- versalizing service was seen as a' good' by university libraries, it was seldom carried out. He said a major reason for this was the financial situation of academic li- braries. They had a great deal of difficulty satisfying university needs, let alone those of the non-university community. CONCLUSION Academic libraries in North America and their Chinese counterparts have simi- lar objectives. Both attempt to serve the teaching and research activities of their universities, although these activities are Role of the Academic Library 341 not perceived to be identical. Both would agree that they have a responsibility to so- ciety beyond the university walls, though this perceived responsibility is put into practice more often in North America than it is in China. The fascinating difference is the perception or nonperception of the university library as a vehicle for develop- ing the 'whole' person. In North America, the university library is satisfied if it can provide its patrons with knowledge. We pay at least lip service to the adage that the university teaches people to think. In China, the university library's responsi- bility extends beyond this to a concern for the ethical development and the very thought processes of its clientele. There is concern not only that the student be able to think, but also with what he or she thinks. This difference, of course, reflects a very different social, political, and even cultural ethic at work. In a society that val- ues freedoms of the individual, it is quite easy to point an accusing, or even deri- sive, finger at countries where govern- ments attempt blatant direction of cumu- lative thought and to whisper 'brainwashing.' However, since no scale exists to judge social, political, or cultural · values objectively, the best that can be done is an attempt should be made to un- derstand and accept. REFERENCES AND NOTES 1. Huang Zongzhong, Tu-shu guan xue dao-lun (An Introduction to Library Science) (Wuhan: Wuhan University Press, 1988). 2. "Guan-yu gai-jin he jia-qiang tu-shu guan gong-zuo di bao-gao" (Report concerning the reform and strengthening of library work), Zhang-guo tu-shu guan xue baa (China Library Science Report) 13:23-27 (1987). 3. Bao Zhenxi, ''Jian-chi gai-ge. Jia-qiang xie-zuo. Fa-zhan he jian-she wo guo di tu-shu guan shi-ye'' (Support reform. Strengthen cooperation. Develop and establish the library profession in our country), Zhang-guo tu-shu guan xue baa (China Library Science Report) 13:34-38 (1987). 4. "Pu-tong gao-deng xue-xiao tu-shu guan gui-cheng" (Regulations pertaining to university li- braries), Da-xue tu-shu guan tong-xun (University Library Bulletin), 5:19- 22 (1987). 5. Zhang Xuzhi, "Ren-zhen guan-che quan guo gao-deng xue-xiao tu-shu guan gong-zuo hui-yi jing-shen-quan mian jia-qiang wo sheng gao-deng xue-xiao tu-shu guan di jian-she'' (Fully inter- nalize the spirit of the National meeting on university library work-Strengthen as much as possi- ble the establishment of university libraries in our province), Hu-bei gao-xiao tu-shu guan (Hubei University Libraries), 4:28-34 (1987). 6. Zhao Dianqin, "Tan gao-xiao tu-shu guan di jiao-yu zhi-neng" (Talking about the educational function of university libraries), Tu-shu yu qing-bao gong-zuo (Book and Information Work), 3:39-41 (1987). 7. Song Guomin and Zhang Shufan, "Shi lllilgao-xiao guan di jiao-yu zhi-neng" (Attempting a 342 College & Research Libraries July 1990 discussion of the educational function of university libraries), Tu-shu yu qing-bao gong-zuo (Book and Information Work), 2:11-12 (1987). 8. "Wo guan shi ru-he fa-hui jiao-yu zhi-neng he qing-bao zhi-neng" (How our library carries out the educational and informational functions) , Ji-lin gao-xiao tu-shu guan (Jilin University Libraries), 2:12-15 (1988) . 9. Ibid. 10. Song and Zhang, "Shi lun gao-xiao guan eli jiao-yu zhi-neng." 11. "Pu-tong gao-deng xue-xiao tu-shu guan gui-cheng," p.20. 12. Quoted by Peng Peiyun in "Shi-ying shi-dai yao-qiu. Ming-que fa-zhan fang-xiang. Jia-qiang gao- xiao tu-shu guan di jiao-yu zhi-neng he qing-bao zhi-neng" (Adapt to the requirements of today. Clearly establish goals. Strengthen the educational and informational functions of university li- braries), Da-xue tu-shu guan tong-xun (University Library Bulletin), 5:5(1987). 13. Ibid.: 3-10. 14. Liang Jiaxing et al, "Li gong ke da-xue sheng du shu sheng-huo diao-cha yu yue-du zhi-dao chu tan-jian lun fa-hui gao-deng xue-xiao tu-shu guan di jiao-yu zhi-neng" (A survey of the reading habits of students at a university of natural science and engineering, and an initial look at reading guidance-Together with a discussion of bringing into play the educational function of university libraries), Da-xue tu-shu guan xue-bao (University Library Report), 2:4-12 (1989). 15. Yang Weiping, "Cong da-xue sheng yue-du qing-kuang kan xi-fang wen-hua di ying-xiang ji tu- shu guan di dui-ci" (Observation of the influence of western culture by means of examining stu- dent reading habits; and the response of libraries), Gao-xiao tu-shu qing-bao xue kan (Journal of Uni- versity Books and Information Science), 1:76-78 (1989). 16. Ye Linghua, "Cong da-xue sheng ke-wai yue-du di diao-cha kan tu-shu guan jiao-yu zhi-neng" (A survey of the extra-curricular reading habits of students illuminates the educational function of university libraries), Gao-xiao tu-shu qing-bao xue kan (Journal of University Books and Information Science), 1:59-66 (1989). 17. Wu-han Da-xue Tu-shu Guan, ''Dang-qian da-xue sheng ke-wai yue-du te-dian ji fen-xi'' (Charac- teristics and analysis of present-day extra-curricular reading of university students), Gao-xiao tu- shu qing-bao xue kan (Journal of University Books and Information Science), 1:52-58 (1989). 18. Li Jilin, ''Dui gao-xiao tu-shu guan jiao-yu zhi-neng di zai ren-shi'' (A reexamination of the educa- tional function of university libraries), Hu-bei gao-xiao tu-shu guan (Hubei University Libraries), 3:2-6 (1988). 19. Sun Xuanyin, "Guan-yu gao-xiao tu-shu guan jiao-yu zhi-neng eli tan tao" (An investigation into, and discussion of, the educational function of academic libraries), An-hui gao-xiao tu-shu guan (Anhui University Libraries), 3:14 (1986). 20 . Jiang-han Da-xue Tu-shu Guan, "Fa-hui si-xiang zheng-zhi gong-zuo you-shi; cu jin tu-shu guan shi-ye fa-zhan'' (Establish the supremacy of ideological and political education; further the devel- opment ofthe library profession), Hu-bei gao-xiao tu-shu guan (Hubei University Libraries), 3:13-18 (1987). 21. Ji-shou Da-xue Tu-shu Guan, "Wo guan shi zen-yang kai-zhan si-xiang zheng-zhi gong-zuo" (How my library undertakes ideological and political education), Gao-xiao tu-shu guan gong-zuo (University Library Work), 4:82-84 (1987) . 22. Peng Peiyun, "Shi-ying shi-dai yao-qiu ... , " p.4. 23. Wang Aiwu, "Gao-xiao tu-shu guan zen-yang fa-hui qing-bao zhi-neng" (How university li- braries bring the information function into play), Hu-bei gao-xiao tu-shu guan (Hubei University Libraries), 1:11 (1988). 24. ''Wo guan shi ru-he fa-hui jiao-yu zhi-neng he qing-bao zhi-neng.'' 25. Ibid. 26 . Man Daren, "Lan-zhou da-xue tu-shu guan di er ci wen-xian gong-zuo" (Secondary document preparation at Lanzhou University library), Da-xue tu-shu guan tong-xun (University Library Bulle- tin), 1:47-48 (1987). 27 . Yang Xiaohua, "Shi lun wo guo gao-deng yuan xiao tu-shu guan zhi she-hui zhi-neng" (An at- tempt to discuss the social function of our country's university libraries), Tu-shu guan gong-zuo yu yan-jiu (Library Work and Research), 3:23-26 (1987). 28. Zhao Zhiwei, "Xin-xi shi-dai di gao-xiao tu-shu guan ying-gai xiang she-hui kai-fang" (In the in- formation age, university libraries ought to open to society), Shaan-xi tu-shu guan (Shaanxi Li- braries), 2/3:6-9 (1986). 29 . Xia Xuming, "Xiang she-hui kai-fang shi gao-xiao tu-shu guan gai-ge bu ke hu-shi di wen-ti" (Opening to society is a question that cannot be ignored during the reform of academic libraries), Gui-zhou tu-shu guan xue kan (Guizhou Library Science Journal), 1:45-48 (1987). Role of the Academic Library 343 30. Zhao Zhiwei, "Xin-xi shi-dai. ... " 31. Xia Xuming, "Xiang she-hui kai-fang .... " 32. Yang Xiaohua, "Shi lun wo guo gao-deng yuan xiao .... " 33. Muo Kaixin, "Gao-xiao tu-shu guan ying xiang she-hui kai-fang" (University libraries should serve society), Gao-xiao tu-shu guan gong-zuo (University Library Work), 2:77-78, 80 (1987). 34. Yang Xiaohua, "Shi lun wo guo gao-deng yuan xiao .... " 35. Zhang Weiqiang, "Guan-yu gao-xiao tu-shu guan xiang she-hui kai-fang wen-ti di zong-he si- kao" (A synthesis of thought about the question of university libraries opening to society), Da-xue tu-shu ~.n t~~g-xun ~University Library B,~etin), 2:43-47 (1988). 36. Muo Kavan, Gao-XIao tu-shu guan .... 37. Wang Licheng, "Gao-xiao tu-shu guan ying wei 'xing-huo ji-hui' fu-wu" (University libraries should support the 'Spark Plan'), Tu-shu guan xue lean Oournal of Library Science), 3:39-41 (1987). How does your collection measure up? You need reliable quantitative data to justify collection management decisions. You need a flexible analysis system designed with your library's goals in mind. Introducing ........................ OCLC/ AM/COS Collection Analysis Systems. Collection Analysis CD compares your holdings against those of similar institutions, using a subset of the OCLC database on compact disc. Tape Analysis gives you a custom-designed MARC tape analysis for your library or group. A Tape Match against Books for College Libraries is also offered. OCLC/AMIGOS Collection Analysis Systems Available exclusively in the U.S. from AMIGOS Bibliographic Council, Inc. 11300 North Central Expressway, Suite 321 Dallas, Texas 75243 (800)843-8482 (214)750-6130 The Only Complete Reference QURAN in English with comprehensive commentary and full translation- invaluable to scholars of international studies, world politics, and comparative religions. •This beautiful, five volume reference set encompasses 1400 years of historic research conducted by western, oriental and middle eastern Islamic scholars. It offers authorita- tive exposition of all key concepts in Islam and their evolutionary environments. "This Commentary of the Holy Quran, written by a renowned Islamic Scholar is a vital reference providing a ready source of original research on tracing the roots of Quranic terms and phrases and in the analysis of the cultural and his- torical environment of the origins of Islam in particular, and ofJudaism and Christianity in general." "I have used this work myself in my researches on science in Islam. As is well-known, the Holy Quran contains some 740 verses-nearly l/8th of the Holy book-which exhorts Muslims to reflect on Allah's creation. This played an impor- tant role in the rise of science within Islam which played an important role towards the continuation of scientific spirit up to the 16th century." Abdus Salam Professor Abdus Salaam The Fiest Muslim Nobel Lanreate in Physics, 1979 "The greater commentary of the Holy Quran is the magnum opus of Hazrat Mirza Basheerudin Mahmud Ahmad. It is a most valuable exposition of the numberless verities comprised in the Holy Quran and is a great milestone in the history of the exegesis of the Holy Quran. It has drawn superlative encomiums from scholars of the Holy Quran." Muhammad Zafarulla Khan President of the UN General Assembly 1962 President of the World Court of Justice •This is a complete reference on the Islamic faith c~ntaining the complete text of the Quran. The index, concor- dance and bibliography assist readers in understanding Islamic practices and their cultural and historic roots. Clear and Functional Forntat PT. 5 AL·NISA Clf. :4 • Provides translation 122. Theae are they whooe abode f.':!'.- •' ,. , , ·~" , , , f, .- ':"'1. I .;""' •hallbeHelland•theyahallfi.ndno ~~,;)J~~-''~~Jio~_,l ~ ny of escape from it. •• "*"' ~r ... ~ 123. Buto1 to "thoaa who believe and _;, ~-,!~. , , ' , , ,. ,,,. ,; (t do good worla!, We will admit them P.r·_,~..;:..- .,:;.JI~_,!_,:..\.;.!~1:; into gar~~ns, bene~th which streams ~..., ,..,..'*:" ...... , , 11 .. ,, ~, • Bow, ab1dmg therem for ever. It 0. 1~, ~C!'.# _AJ~I~ ~ (S~ of important words from Arabic to English. •Traces the roots of key words and expressions to their historic and cultural origins. Allah 'a muailing ~romiaa ; and who ' ' ~:rd7 more trut ful than Allah in ~~~~J,~ .. ;,t_;.;~~~~J 124. Itahall not be according to'([;" "!.r. 1 ::,.·r-- ~'.~.f·1 "" V your dea1rea, nor according to tht ~.;f'~l~ .J,-.1 o J~)""~ ~ deairea of the People of the Book ,' , ;%. ' ,' - Wh~ dooa evil ahall be rewarded ~ja11~,;~j.)~~-¥.j~'~~~..,~~ for 1t ; and •he shall find for himaelf no ' ' ' ' • !riend or helper heaide AllAh ."' ~~ :5J j believer, such shall enter heaven , and , , , _ , , 1 1211. But 4whoeo dooa good worka, ·•·>~•' f". ! , ·--~ ,, whether male or female, and ~·a a:h~1 J'.{ !J · ~~$~ . .;f'J ahall ':lot be wronged even .. , much a1 ~,'''•~. ;~/~t,;~,); ~_,U ~;. the httle hollow ID the back of a ' • • --- date-atone .'" ~ •Concordance and cross references refer readers to related verses in the text. •": 22. •s¢'M. ., , 46, 33, 1s, 6a. l4o , u. -~ 588. Jmportut Wo.U: / 590. CoiiUilelliu7: ~(way o! t.cape) i• deri ved from...,-~ . Th.e \'erae ia important inuat.uch u it clearl1 They u.y u ..,..~ i .t . he turne,f away from , place• tQ.Pn &ud worQtn on the a&D:le lent 1a and r.aoaped it. ~ th~rdor~ lll"&n.s, a (3.r u worb and their rewarda are concerned. way or place of ~aeape ; a pb.ce o( refuge ; a Bot.h Ahke are Hrv&ot. o( the Lord and bot .. rla~t! to which or.e- turns or fleet (Aqrah tt are equally ~ntitle-d to a good rew&rd, if they ~~ ) .CemmeatarJ: ------~~o:,.:. &::,ood~- -~-~;~_;'k;:~~.~;;.~,;.~~~.:.::n~:;::,;;.~:;·::;:;;~-;;:.'i;;l.ia.n;;;lh~::~.~::---r---; • Provides authoritative commentary on interpreta- tion of verses. The exprel'lion, ll doll 1104 be AtttWiihl to rniuionari~• ahould have the hardihood to your lulrtl , dou not D\f'aa. that the deti.P-1 or bring acaiN!t b1arn the charge that a.ceordia.a t.he Faithful wiH not: materiali&l. The vene to it won,.,n, unlike mPn, are devoid ol purport• to lay down a general principle I hat oouto. it io ouly lhe will of God which prenib. Ao It ohould &IJo be Qotod lhal true btlitl io a tb·duiru oftru• beUenn maet coiADide wilh Aec-ary con4itioA for .. ;...;.:.;;.;...;;.=..::....:::........!....----' ......... ----------. tile will of God, llleyr.n bounoi lo matoriahit . worde, ••4 ;. • w-. ol" 565 TO ORDER: The five volume set is priced at $300.00. 1988 ISBN 1-853-72-045-3 3000 pages. Hardbound. 4900 subject entries. WRITE: Literature Marketing Committee Ahmadiyya Movement in Islam Inc., 2141 Leroy Place Washington DC 20008 CALL: COMPLETE INDEX •Issues of Debate- Divorce; Sex; Women and Property are addressed and explained from the Islamic point of view. ' Chainnan.Literature Marketing Committee (202) 232-3737 or Fax (202) 232-8181 Direct online orders may be placed through modem, CompuServe or Volume one of this set contains the biography of Muhamma~ the Holy Prophet of Islam. Authorita- tively researche~ it presents the Prophet's life, his dealings with non-Muslims, his wives and his powerful contemporaries. 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