In the blink of an eye, the semester began.
Zhou, once a student, had become Teacher Zhou. Carrying his bag, he watched the students rushing to class around him, his mindset still not fully adjusted. He still felt like a student, still nostalgic for student life.
Back when he was a freshman, library science and archival science were separate majors. Later, he heard that the two were combined in the first year, with students specializing in their second or third year.
Looking at the dozens of young faces before him, Zhou You felt old—old in his mindset. His former self had aged mentally, and he hadn't quite adapted yet.
"Hello, everyone. I'm your teacher for 'Foundations of Library Science.' My surname is Zhou, full name Zhou You. I'm also your senior. Professor Sang, who originally taught this course, has retired, and I'm taking over for him," Zhou You said, picking up a piece of chalk from the desk and writing his name on the blackboard.
"My teaching certainly won't be as brilliant as Professor Sang's, but I hope you'll bear with me. At least, give me a break because I'm your senior."
At that, the students below laughed. It was a decent show of respect.
"Now that you've met me, it's time I got to know you. After all, I'm your专业课 teacher, and we'll be spending a lot of time together. Let me take attendance. No one's skipping the first class, right?"
Zhou You launched into the dreaded roll call.
Li Zhen, present. Wang Peng, present. Jiang Yanyan, present.
"Huang Zhenkai, Huang Zhenkai. Is this student here? Any roommates? Tell him to come quickly. I've been through this stage too. Missing the first class without a good reason is hard to justify. Since it's our first meeting, let him come to class as soon as possible. I won't record it this time."
The roll call continued.
Qiu Xiaogu, present. Chen Fang, present.
"Our class has 53 students in total. Except for Huang Zhenkai, everyone else is here. Let's start the lesson."
Library science is the study of the origin, development, organization, and management of libraries, as well as the laws governing library work. Its goal is to summarize practical experiences in library work and librarianship, establish a scientific theoretical system for library science, promote the development of libraries, and enhance their status and role in human societal progress. Library science is a developing field. Modern library science incorporates content from multiple disciplines. With the advancement of society and technology, especially the growing human need for information and document exchange, the prospects for research and application in library science will become even broader.
Looking at the drowsy students below, some already slumped over their desks—probably up too late gaming last night—Zhou You knew that simply lecturing on professional knowledge wouldn't hold their attention. They had no motivation to listen. The first class should focus on mutual familiarity, aiming for peaceful coexistence down the line.
"Ahem, I'd like to know how many of you chose this major voluntarily?" Zhou You asked, scanning the room.
After some hesitation, four people raised their hands. That was about right.
"I know most of you were reassigned here. Could these few briefly explain why you chose this major?"
"Chen Fang, you go first."
"My mom works at a library. She thinks it's a great job for a girl. I grew up going to work with her, reading lots of books there. I love the library atmosphere and would like to work in this field if I get the chance," Chen Fang said, standing up gracefully.
"I've loved reading since I was a kid, and my family was very supportive. I didn't think twice about choosing this major," Jiang Yanyan said, a bit shy.
Ruan Qingxue added, "I like quiet. My family doesn't want me to earn too much money; they just want me to live peacefully. So I picked this major."
Then, Wang Peng, the only male student who chose library science, stood up. "My score was a bit low, and I was afraid of being reassigned to another major. My family said library science was okay, so I went for it."
"Alright, you've heard from a few classmates. Now let me share what I know as a reference for you."
"But let me be clear: what I say might not be entirely accurate. It's just from my personal experience, and it's somewhat one-sided. Also, I'm not your advisor, so I shouldn't say too much. Consider this an extra channel for you to learn about the major."
"I was reassigned to this major too," Zhou You paused after saying this, and the students smiled knowingly.
"I didn't take my classes seriously, even failed some, so I couldn't switch majors. That's the key point: if any of you want to change majors, your grades must be good—at least in the top ten of the class—and you can't have any failed courses."
"Now, let me talk about the benefits of library science. I discovered these gradually. Back then, I thought, 'This lousy major—what can I do after graduation?' I have to admit, I was shallow."
"First, this major is offered by only 22 universities nationwide, most of which are 211 schools. That means it's rare. Scarcity makes it valuable."
"Second, the job prospects are broad: provincial and city libraries, archives at all levels, public security, procuratorate, and court systems. You might wonder why those agencies recruit our major. I can tell you clearly: they hire us almost every year because they have tons of archives needing professional management. Same for party and government offices, especially as the country increasingly standardizes archive preservation. Hospitals also need us, since they have countless medical records to store and classify."
"Finally, competition is low. With so few graduates nationwide each year, if you want to take civil service exams, you might need classmates to sign up with you just to fill the slots. Back in my day, many of us had to team up to meet the numbers, and we basically passed every exam we took."
At this, the students' eyes lit up. After all, the pressure of civil service exams was intense.
"Teacher, are there any downsides?" a bold student asked.
"Of course. Every coin has two sides. The biggest downside is the low pay. For men, supporting a family and buying a house on this salary would be tough without family help. Of course, that's true for other young people too—few can afford a home without assistance."
Hearing about the low pay, the male students looked dejected. The female students were better off, since even in this era of gender equality, the burden of buying a house still largely fell on men.
"Alright, one last thing: don't assume other majors pay well. You'll realize after graduation that almost no one earns much at the start. We'll chat more when we have time. Now, let's begin the formal lesson."
The morning had two classes with a ten-minute break. Zhou You didn't head to the nearby teachers' lounge but stayed in the classroom chatting with them. He'd noticed that as he aged, he was losing touch with youth trends. He didn't want to end up like his parents' generation, gradually stuck in one place.
That was one reason Zhou You became a university teacher—to stay connected with young people.
Still seeking recommendations. New writer, new book, still experimenting.