Abstract:

In the past five years, public reading spaces, which are gradually emerging in different sectors such as bookstores, picture book houses and libraries, are forming into a confluence and evolving into a basic form in the public cultural service system. There are some subtle differences between public reading space and libraries, though they have common in the fundamental properties and functions. The development of public reading space has presented its own features:1)The crossboundary construction bodies;2)The mixed and matched services;3)The combination of public welfare with business operations;4)The space design is artistic, ecological and experience emphasized. In the future development of public reading space, there is a trend of diversity in terms of the founders the spaces will spread from urban to rural areas gradually; and they will exert a huge external effect. Although some current problems arise in the process of “crossing the river by feeling the stones”, the rational direction of public reading space should not be blurred.

Key words: Bookstore, Picture book houses, Library, Public reading space, Public cultural service system, Cross-boundary construction bodies