Library's fairness policy wins praise
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A library in East China has gained national recognition after openly inviting the disadvantaged, including beggars, to use its services.
The Hangzhou Public Library in Zhejiang province has been open for free to the public since 2008, even while other public institutions continue to have unwritten rules and deposit requirements that keep the disadvantaged away.
A comment by Chu Shuqing, the library curator, brought the Hangzhou library a great deal of recognition after being widely circulated on the Internet.
Chu is reported to have said: "I don't have the right to keep them (beggars) away from the library, but you have the right to leave."
Chu's words were widely interpreted as showing sympathy to the poor.
The quote drew many favorable responses, although some observers said the praise heaped on the library lacked a sense of proportion.
"It does not deserve media coverage," said Liu Lidong, a publicity official at the library. "It is a public library's responsibility to ensure every citizen enjoys the right to read and learn."
Liu said the curator, who declined to be interviewed, made the comment two years ago, adding that Chu's meaning was that if the readers did not want to stay in an area with beggars, they could move to other parts of the library.
Even so, the library has not eliminated all rules pertaining to beggars and scavengers. Such patrons still must clean their hands before picking up books.
"It's common to see beggars and migrant workers reading in our library," Liu said. "Instead of wanting to be in the air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter, they come here to read."
The library, which was enlarged and moved to its new site in 2008, has 40,000 square meters of space set aside for readers, making it one of the largest in China.
Statistics show it has attracted more than 5.8 million readers so far.
What's more, the library can be easily reached by at least 20 buses and a subway line that is under construction.
Asked if the library is in a convenient location for beggars and the homeless, Liu said: "Even though it is not downtown, the library is in the citizens' center where the offices of various public service authorities are."
The library's policies have won praise from counterparts.
"Libraries should be open and free, since all readers are equal," Cheng Huanwen, director of the Guangdong Library Society, said in a quote that appeared in the Guangzhou Daily.
Cheng said the public's right to read and learn must be respected. Even so, libraries can take steps to smooth relations between disadvantaged patrons and other guests.
One suggestion he made was that public libraries offer free baths for beggars, which might help to make other readers feel more comfortable.
