STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

I would like to pursue graduate studies for a Master’s Degree in your School of Library and Information starting in the fall of 1999.

My interest in information science stems from an intensive career in the trade exhibition industry. As stated in my resume enclosed hereinwith, I did my undergraduate studies at the Beijing University of Culture and Languages, China’s leading institution of international learning. Upon graduation in 1994 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English, I first joined the Exhibition Division of the China World, where I quickly worked my way up from the position of a secretary to that of a project manager. In October 1995, I took up a job with the then newly established Beijing Representative Office of the Zhan Exhibition Companies, a world-renowned exhibition organizer. At Zhan, I have honed my marketing skills and broadened my intellectual vision, so much so that I now see it as my mission to help put Chin on the cutting-edge of the development of the information science.

An exhibition or a trade fair is generally considered a quick and economical way of disseminating business information and building up business contacts. It generally provides a high profile to one’s target audience, which is particularly good for niche marketing. The concentration of sellers and buyers, the face-to-face communications between them, the neutral sales environment and many other features all combine to make fast market penetration possible.

But I believe that the trade exhibition industry, in its traditional style, will be fading away against the onslaught of modern technology. Although the art of exhibitions has been perfected since its inception 200 years ago, n exhibition today still costs too much in money, time and human resources, particularly when compared with other marketing devices that have recently been made possible by modern information science and technology.

The cost of a traditional exhibition comes in many ways. It typically entails the use of huge premium space its planning, organization and promotion all take tremendous team efforts, as do the necessary construction and freight forwarding. Both exhibitors and visitors have to spend time and money traveling to and from the exhibition site. In many cases, one must go abroad to attend an exhibition.

Most of the cost of traditional exhibition can be done away, though, if we take full advantage of modern information technology. Virtually all the functions of traditional exhibitions can now be performed faster and at a much, much lower cost through the use of computer networking. An anti-drug exhibition was recently held in China simultaneously in an exhibition center and on the Internet, pointing the way commercial exhibitions can be reformed.

Conscious of the sea change in the industry, I would like to move ahead of the others. Hence my desire to further my education in your country, especially at your university, where I think I can receiver comprehensive training in the state of the art of Library and Information Sciences. I believe that such training will help put me on the forefront of the information business in China. Struggling hard as we are in this country to keep abreast of the world’s latest developments in library and information sciences, our phenomenal economic growths in the last two decades have greatly expanded the market for library and information services. This calls for exactly the kind of expertise I hope to acquire by studying in your school.

I learned from your brochure that your school has a strong faculty and a very good academic environment. It seems that the courses you offer are precisely what I wish to take. I am especially interested in those courses on networking, system analysis & management, and information resources. I therefore see your program as my first choice as I try to upgrade my education.

I believe that I am well prepared for advanced training with you. On top of my hands-on experience with the trade exhibition business, I have also made myself versed in the areas of History of Information Development, PC Literacy, Internet Literacy, and Debase Ⅲ. And I am currently teaching myself the JAVA language. By teaching myself various practical skills, I have acquired the ability, unique among most Chinese students, to study independently.

Upon graduation from your school, I would like to work for a library or an information company in USA for a year so that I can be better acquainted with the way an advanced information system actually works in the world’s most developed country. My ultimate goal is, however, to return to China and help modernize China’s information and library industry.

In view of my academic strengths and career desires, I trust that you will consider my application favorably.