Beijing Institute of Technology Library (BITL), originally known as Yan’an Academy of Natural Sciences Library, was established in 1940. It presently consists of Zhongguancun campus library, Xu Teli library (located in Liangxiang campus and named after the BIT’s prestigious former president) and four professional branches covering disciplines from machinery and vehicle engineering, science, humanities to law, with a total floor area of 46,000 square meters.

Till now, BITL’s printed and electronic book collections amount to 2.526 million and 5.4961 million respectively and the library boasts of 273 databases. Moreover, BITL’s featured archived literature system is to be constructed around three programs, namely “Beijing Institute of Technology Special Stacks Center”, “China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) Literature Collection and Exchange Center” and “Collection Base for the Data Acquisition on Senior Scientists’ Academic Journey”. BITL has developed its national defense featured literature resources security system involving wide-ranging disciplines and encompassing both printed and digital documents.

BITL adopts the cross-campus borrowing and reading mode with the principles of “advance ordering, interlibrary loan, resource sharing”. And various modern information service systems have been introduced, ranging from Library Integrated Management System (LIMS), Full-text Electronic Information Delivery System to Cross-Database Retrieval System for Electronic Resources. BITL has achieved the seamless link of library information resources and offered one-stop service to readers to obtain their target information.

Xu Teli Library was formally put into use in October 2008. First three floors of the building are open to readers, designed with various spaces for digital learning, newspaper and magazine reading, design art and audio-visual exercises as well as art gallery, military reading room, memorial hall for Xu Teli and six public reading rooms, together with 36 discussion and research rooms. And in 2010, Xu Teli Library put into operation the self-service books circulation system, to realize unmanned management and offer 24-hour service.

Guided by the basic principles of “consolidating present foundation, developing with its own characteristics, adopting library technology, and innovating service offerings” and equipped with automotive management system, BITL will employ more skilled staff and pay more attention to the discipline construction so as to provide high quality information services to regular class teaching and scientific research. Supported by advanced technology, BITL is expected to become an efficient, digitalized, research-oriented university library with good domestic and international reputation.

Website: http://lib.bit.edu.cn/