Abstract: [Purpose/Significance] Public reading areas in Inner Mongolia are the subject of this study. After an analysis of current cases of cooperation between bookstores and libraries, and exploitation of strength as well as shortcomings, this paper, by referring to successful cases, endeavors to propose tactics for the sustainable development of public reading areas. [Method/Process] Surveys were made via online and telephone interviews, fieldworks, literature research, and analysis of statistics. Setting Hohhot, the capital city of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, as the target city, the statistics collected from institutes including Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Party Committee Propaganda Department, Inner Mongolia Xinhua Publishing Group, The Library of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hohhot Library, Baotou Library, Puluo Bookstore, Xinhua Bookstore, and Qingcheng Reading Cube. [Results/Conclusions] As is reflected in the survey, the project, with Hohhot city as the center, covers 11 cities and leagues. As for the modes of cooperation, the You-Choose-I-Pay mode dominates, and meanwhile, alternative modes are under development. In the midst of the cooperation, urgent issues that need to be dealt with are financial shortage, restricted opportunities for private bookstores, absence of diversity in cooperation, and underrated advantages of bookstores. To address the problems above, authorities ought to provide further endorsement, including introduction of social forces, adding financial support and balancing the development of related bookstores of various types; the cooperation between the two sides should be deepened by making use of a relevant resource, like new media; the roles of the three, i.e. government, bookstores and libraries, need to be more specific, and integration among the three should be encouraged to better utilize resources provided; constructional plans need be integrated to guarantee the quality of reading materials; inter-section cooperation needs to be enhanced; and the characteristics of local culture and customs are supposed to be preserved as a resource and exploited in a commercialized manner.

Key words: libraries, bookstore, cooperation between libraries and bookstores, public cultural services, public reading areas, integration of culture and tourism