This talk is an overview of the history and current status of libraries in China. It describes the different periods of library developments, from ancient libraries to modern libraries, and from private/non-public access libraries to freely accessible modern public and academic libraries. With the rapid economic growth, many libraries have been built up with digital access, special collections and special services in recent years. Some of them are worth visiting either for research or leisure purposes while visiting China.

Dr. Mengxiong Liu received her Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies from the University of Michigan in 1990. Since then, she has become a faculty member at San Jose State University. She was the past President of Chinese American Librarians Association, and has been invited to lecture in China for numerous times. Dr. Liu received a number of research awards, including the Fulbright Senior Specialist Award. Currently, she is the board member of Evergreen Educational Foundation.