Library History

Southeast University Library is one of the oldest university libraries in China with profound cultural heritage. For more than one hundred years, the library has undergone several historical phases of developmet including Sanjiang Normal College, Liangjiang Normal College, Nanjing Higher Normal School, National Southeast University, National Central University and Nanjing Institute of Technology. In 1902, the Sanjiang Normal College Library was built. In 1923, the library was independently built as the Mengfang Library of National Southeast University. Several famous Librarians such as Hong Youfeng, Gui Zhibai, Dai Zhiqian, Liu Yizhen worked here during the period of National Central University. In October 1952, the library was adjusted to Nanjing Institute of Technology Library. In May 1988, the library was renamed Southeast University Library. In April 2000, a brand-new Southeast University was established in combination with Nanjing Railway Medical College, Nanjing College of Communications and Nanjing Geological School, and together formed the new Southeast University Library. In July 2007, the library of Jiulonghu Campus was completed. Southeast University Library has now developed as a research library with rich resources, comfortable spaces, advanced technology and complete service system.

The document resource in Southeast University Library is abundant in content and has prominent emphasis, reasonable structure and distinct characteristic. At the end of 2018, the cumulative physical collection have been 4,365,100 volumes. There are also 4,134 Chinese and foreign language current periodicals, 131 Chinese and foreign language database platforms, 2 million e-books, 63,600 e-periodicals, and 9 million e-dissertations. Besides that, the library also has special collections such as donations from Li Guoding and Tian Yuan, textbooks in Nanjing Institute of Technology period, etc. The Southeast University Library has gradually actualized the accurate support and reasonable allocation of document resource for different subjects, effectively guarantee teaching, researching and the “Double First-Class” construction of Southeast University.

The library has a reasonable layout, complete functions, excellent surroundings and advanced equipments. The library is now composed of Mochtar Riady Library of Jiulonghu Campus, the branch library of Sipailou Campus and the branch library of Dingjiaqiao Campus. It has an overall floor area of 66,900 square meters and 4,914 seats. The opening time is up to 98 hours per week. The library also has several distinctive spaces, namely Guoding Reading Room, Tongjun Atelier, Special Collections Reading Room, Seminar Rooms, and Multimedia Reading Room, which can satisfy the needs of personalized study and interactive communication. The library is equipped with computer terminals for inquiries, 3D face recognition entrance guard, self-service printers, self-service lending machines, counseling robot, reading kiosks, pilotless book-returning vehicle. These equipments make study and life easier for readers.

The library provides high quality and convenient information service with complete system, standard management and efficient operation. With the tenet of “Reader Oriented”, the library provides documentation and information service such as resource discovery, catalog searching, book lending, new book bulletining, book fair, interlibrary loan, information literacy education, etc. The digital library provides 24-hour service so that readers can get literature resource via remote access. The library also offers deep knowledge services including novelty search, subject service, intelligence analysis, patent information analysis, digital learning, etc. These services strongly support students’ and faculty’s needs of studying, teaching, researching and management. The library continuously launches different activities, for instance, “Two Seasons Two Months” cultural service, reading promotion and reading contest. Southeast University Library published the original e-journal “Book Paradise”, guided the student society “Shan Yuan Reading Association”, greatly enriched campus cultural atmosphere and was awarded “Civil Reading Demonstration Base” by Library Society of China.

At present, the library consists of 9 departments including administration office, planning and promotion department, special collection preservation and research department, circulation department, subject service department, resource development department, technical support department, library of the Sipailou campus and library of the Dingjiaqiao campus. By the end of 2018, the library has 120 employees including 4 senior professional titles, 14 sub-senior professional titles, 54 mid-level grade titles. The members of library staff hold the following academic degrees: 8 doctors, 59 masters and 25 bachelors (including dual degree). Several employees hold positions in professional society such as the Steering Committee of Academic Library of the Ministry of Education and the Jiangsu Provincial Library Association. The library always highly values academic research and study and has acquired great successes. In recent years, it undertook several national, provincial and ministerial projects and published over 100 SSCI and CSSCI academic papers. The SEU library was prized the “2016-2017 Advanced Group of Jiangsu Provincial Academic Library”, etc. It is also in charge of the discipline construction and personnel training for the first-level discipline authorized to confer Master's degree of library information and archives management.

The Southeast University Library also works as the member library of CALIS (China Higher Education Literature Protection System), Excellence 9, JALIS (Jiangsu Provincial Higher Education Literature Guarantee System), Jiangsu Provincial University Engineering Documentation Center and Nanjing Academic Digital Library in Jiangning Region. It also has Novelty Search Site of the Ministry of Education and Foreign Teaching Materials Center (Civil and Construction Engineering and Mechanics) of the Ministry of Education. In recent years, the library held several national academic and business conferences and set up long-term in-depth cooperation with the library of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and other libraries of overseas universities. All these activities and institutions have greatly improved the social influence of the library.

The Southeast University Library is constantly advancing toward the goal of “specialized, information-based, excellent top-grade library with high research level”.