The National Library of China (NLC) Saturday launched its second annual readers' month, aiming to encourage readers to read more books and deepen their knowledge.
Between December 1 and 31, the NLC will invite 100 well-known experts and scholars from across the country to form a consultancy committee and organize a dozen of academic lectures.
Together with China Digital Library Co. Ltd., the NLC will also push forward the on-line reading project.
Meanwhile, readers are expected to donate books to the country's economically backward western areas.
Founded in 1909 with the original name of Capital Library, the NLC has more than 23 million books, with the earliest collection dating back to 700 years ago.
The NLC, the largest in Asia, holds the world's fifth largest book collection. The NLC is visited by nearly 10,000 readers everyday. Annual visits to its website, www.nlc.gov.cn, exceed 100 million.
(Xinhua News Agency December 1, 2001)
