More Chinese universities are opening their libraries to the public, allowing people to enjoy reading during normal time and the vacations.
But for some students, including Wang Ling, 21, in Sun Yat-sen University, this practice has caused headaches. "Members of the public come to our libraries more for sightseeing than reading," said Wang.
"They sometimes even bring their kids along, and take photos as if it was a place of interest."
Wang has found it hard to get a seat during busy times. Being short of space is a common problem for university libraries in China.
However, this is not the only reason why students dislike their libraries being open to members of the public. They fear that the quietness of the libraries will be influenced because of visitors' rude behavior.
Chen Jie, 18, a student in Tongji University, is one who would be against opening to the public. "I have been to a public library before. People were chatting loudly or speaking on cell phone so you can hardly read," Chen said. She notices teachers doing serious reading and feels their concentration (专注) has influenced her. "If too many strangers stay here, the whole library will be a noisy place and it's difficult for us to study quietly," she said.
Will there be alternative (可替代的) ways to share those libraries? Some experts consider that university libraries can prevent the public from entering certain areas. "We might keep magazines for academic research only for teachers and students," said Zhu Lina, library director in Jinan University.
Working together with the community library is another solution. "It's possible that a member of the public can order a book in our library over the Internet," Ge Jianxiong, the library director in Fudan University said. "We'll send it to a public libraries close to their home."
