Abstract:

[Purpose/Significance] In the current era, libraries are essential to fostering a reading-oriented society because they act as key hubs for disseminating knowledge. The goal is to increase public cultural literacy and foster an intellectual atmosphere. However, the lack of a professional framework for promoting reading in libraries severely hinders these efforts. Without clear standards, activities lack systematic planning, which leads to inefficiency and an inability to address diverse reading needs. This study systematically examines the professional services available to library reading promoters. By examining professionalization dimensions and influencing factors, it fills a research gap, enriches library science theory, and provides guidance for cultivating high-quality reading promotion teams. [Method/Process] In-depth interviews were used as the primary method to ensure research rigor. Fifteen participants were selected using purposeful sampling, including library scholars, experienced reading promoters, and front-line librarians. Each interview lasted between 50 and 70 minutes and covered the status of reading promotion, the challenges involved, and future expectations. Three stages of grounded theory analysis were then applied: open coding to extract initial concepts, axial coding to establish relationships between concepts, and selective coding to form a theoretical model. This data-driven approach validates the results. [Results/Conclusions] The research has achieved significant results by identifying three core dimensions of professionalization. For literacy specialization, reading promoters are required to have a solid grasp of library science, literature, and educational psychology. Training specialization emphasizes the establishment of a systematic training program that covers promotion skills, event planning, and user communication. A well-designed training system can continuously improve the professional capabilities of reading promoters. Reading promotion specialization focuses on adopting evidence-based and innovative strategies, which can enhance the effectiveness of reading promotion. Four influencing factors were also discovered: the curriculum system determines the content and quality of training; the resource system provides necessary physical and digital assets for reading promotion; the user service system affects the communication and interaction with readers; and the standardization system provides guidelines for the evaluation of reading promotion work. Based on these findings, practical suggestions were put forward, including optimizing the training model by combining theoretical learning with practical operation and establishing a standardized management system for reading promotion. Nevertheless, the study has certain limitations, primarily due to its relatively small sample size. Future research could expand the scope of the sample, conduct long-term follow-up studies on the impact of professionalization, and explore integrating emerging technologies such as AI and big data into the professionalization of reading promotion to further promote the development of library reading promotion services.

Key words: reading promoters, curriculum system, specialization, standard system, library