The National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NSLC) is the research library service system of CAS as well as the National Library of Sciences in Chinese National Science and Technology Libraries (NSTL) system. Under a Board Trustees appointed by CAS, NSLC consists of a Central Library (based in Beijing, formerly the Library of CAS) and three branch libraries, respectively Lanzhou Branch Library (formerly Lanzhou Library of CAS), Chengdu Branch Library (formerly Chengdu Library of CAS), and Wuhan Branch Library (formerly Wuhan Library of CAS). It is also authorized to coordinate resource development and service provision of all institutional libraries in CAS.

NSLC functions as the national reserve library for information resources in natural sciences, inter-disciplinary fields, and high-tech fields, serving the researchers and students of CAS and researchers around the country. It also provides services in information analysis, research information management, digital library development, scientific publishing (with its 17 academic and professional journals), and promotion of sciences.

NSLC has a staff of 458, with building floor capacity over 80,000m2, and a collection about 11.5 million items. It provides access to more than 171 databases, covering over 16836 foreign STM full text journals, 112160 Chinese full text journals, 607946 foreign theses and dissertations, 494,621 e-books, and an increasing number of full text proceedings and reference books, all accessible from 125 CAS institutes over 30 cities across China. NSLC provides an interlibrary loan system to CAS users of resources within CAS and from NSTL and major academic libraries, delivering documents 7 days a week with a 24 hour turn-around time and with a pool of nearly 20,000 foreign STM journals and proceedings. In addition, NSLC developed services such as cross-database search, online reference, remote and mobile authentication, CAS Institutional Repository Grid, customized knowledge portals for CAS labs and research projects, R&D tracking and analysis systems, and Chinese Science Citation Database which has been incorporated into the Web of Science service of Thomson Reuter.

NSLC is proactively leading national efforts to build a shared National Scientific Information Infrastructure. As the key member of NSTL, it organizes research and training activities for strategic planning for STM libraries, digital library standards, knowledge organization systems, digital preservation technologies and practices, and open access policies, in addition to provision of STM information nation-wide. It collaborates with major domestic and foreign libraries for resources sharing and research in library and information services.

NSLC actively promotes open access to knowledge. It developed the CAS Institutional Repository Grid which covers more than 100 CAS institutes and has more than 400,000 research papers by 2013 openly accessible. NSLC has held the International Symposium on “Open Data and Innovation: Vision and Practice (ODI2017)” in Beijing on July. The symposium is focused on how to create a data to knowledge community that gathers contributors across domains to create intelligent data and further integrate them to form the knowledge base which knowledge units, either data or conclusions, are interconnected. NSLC aims to be an internationally recognized professional force, with 11 members sit currently in various section standing committees of the International Federation of library Associations and Institutes (IFLA). It is also a member in Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), Confederation of Open Access Repositories (COAR), among others. It cooperates closely with international library community for innovation in information and knowledge services, with partners like MPG Libraries and TIB in Germany, Stanford University Library in USA, JST in Japan and KISTI in Korea.

NSLC is credited, under the auspice of CAS University, to offer master and doctoral degree programs in library and information sciences, with a yearly enrollment about 50. The library also hosts senior visiting scholars and organizes vocational training and continuing education programs. It is one of the most published and cited research organization in library and information sciences in China, and the hosting institute for the China Society of Special Libraries.

NSLC, aiming at developing a world first-class information service ability and leadership in library development in the country, strives to strengthen its resources, improve its systems, and innovate its services, to best suit its users.

National Science Library

ADD: 33 Beisihuan Xilu, Zhongguancun, Beijing P.R.China

Postal Code: 100190

TEL: 86-10-82626611         FAX: 86-10-82626600

E-mail: office@mail.las.ac.cn

Website: http://www.las.ac.cn

Chengdu Branch Library

Address: No.16, Nan’erduan, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, P. R. China
Postal Code:610041
Tel：：86-28-85224282
Fax：86-28-85220439
Email：jh@clas.ac.cn

Website：www.clas.ac.cn

Wuhan Branch Library

Address: west 25, XiaoHongshan, Wuchang, Wuhan, Hubei, China

Postal Code: 430071

Tel： 86-27-87199089

Fax: 86-27-87199202

 E-mail: zhbgs@mail.whlib.ac.cn

Website：http://whlib.ac.cn