Brief Introduction

    The history of Guangdong Ocean University Library can be traced back to the establishment of Guangdong Aquaculture Vocational and Technical School Library in 1935. The original Zhanjiang Aquaculture College Library and Zhanjiang Agriculture School Library were amalgamated to be Guangdong Ocean University Library in January 1997. And in April 2002 Zhanjiang Meteorological Secondary School was incorporated. With the change of the university name, the library got its new name as Guangdong Ocean University Library. The total acreage of the libraries on three campuses is 25,603.92 square meters and the Main Library occupies 20,086.92 square meters.

    The Main Library lies in the east section of Maar Lake Beauty Spot- Huguang Rock. The building of Main Library, whose shape resembles the letter Y, locates in the center of the university and its appearance embodies both eastern and western cultural style, denoting the integration of two cultures. The whole building of Main Library is divided into seven floors. There are altogether eighteen function sections, including Multi-media Reading Section, Information Retrieval Section, Reference Reading Section, Leisure Reading Section, etc. The Main Library can hold 2,000,000 printed books and 30,000 kinds of electronic publications and meanwhile provide 2,978 reading seats. 500 persons can simultaneously be online to search information. Each section occupies 640 square meters and in Large-bay structure, offering the readers effective natural lighting and air conduction. The library has computer management system, monitoring system, fire protection system and background music broadcast system that are characteristics of modern public architecture. GDOU Library is a modernized digital one which unites collecting, borrowing, reading and networking. To facilitate and meet the demands of instruction and scientific research, the library offers long-time period, multi-function and comprehensive information services. It is open for 14.5 hours a day from Monday to Sunday, totaling 101.5 hours a week.

     Through years of hard work by the library staff, the number of collected books has reached 1,530,871 and it also collected 3,000 kinds of Chinese and foreign journals. To make the special literature an outstanding feather, it holds to the principle of centering on collecting ocean-specific literature and giving consideration to other disciplines. ?Now the library has set up four special collection subjects and on special collection database, highlighting the ocean characteristic. In 2006 , to widen and develop new channel of receiving foreign materials , the library established contact with “International Book Project” –a nonprofit donation organization in Maryland, America,?
The directors pay much attention to the modernization construction. In 1986, the library connected with DIALOG System and began to provide international online search to the faculty and students. The library has 11 databases and 139 sub-databases. CNKI, VIP, SPRINGER-LIN , Web of Science, EBSCOHost, CSA and the other Chinese and foreign full text databases are available. It started to use the Library Management Software developed by Shenzhen University Library in 1995 and realized the computerized management of purchasing, cataloging, circulating, journal management and collection search.

     The information services in the library include originality investigation, research task retrieval, embodied and cited articles retrieval, English abstracts translation, document delivery and database training, etc. The library passed the qualification censor for scientific project evaluation of Ministry of Agriculture in 1995. Since 2006, it has created dissertation originality investigation service. The service actively helped to regulate the academic behavior of the undergraduates and cultivate honesty atmosphere.

     To regulate the operation and management, the library passed Maritime Education and Training Quality Management System which is based on STCW78/95 International Convention. And in early 2006, the library established ISO9001:2000 Quality Management System and smoothly passed the Third Part Auditing in July 2006 and yearly auditing in June 2007. The library, as the independent institution, became the first one in Guangdong Province and the second one in the whole country which obtained ISO Quality Management System qualification. The establishment and functioning of ISO 9001:2000 improved the library management and services, promoting the library to step on the road of scientific and systematic management.

     While providing high-quality service programs, the stuff in the library actively get involved in the scientific research and instruction and assume the selective course of Literature Retrieval. In 2006 the library began to open bilingual instruction. By on-going efforts of the library stuff, the course “Information Retrieval and Application” is ranked as GDOU Quality Course.

     Now the operation and administration departments include Literature Acquisition and Cataloging Department, Circulation Department, Periodical Reading Department, Information Consultation and Reader Education Department, Special Literature Department, Technique Department, Reader Service Department, Xiashan Borrowing and Reading Department, Haibin Borrowing and Reading Department, Literature Search Teaching and Research Office and Director’s Office. The stuff are always working hard, earnestly and cooperatively to provide readers considerate and enthusiastic services while keeping exploring new programs.

back