Abstract: 【Purpose/significance】The management thought of the ancient library can provide a historical mirror for subject construc⁃ tion of library science under the background of new liberal arts and the system construction of management thoughts of Chinese charac⁃ teristic library.【Method/process】We use the method of combining history and theory to deeply analyze the management practice and historical background of the official library of the Qing Dynasty.【Result/conclusion】We excavated and discovered the management thought of the official library of the Qing Dynasty from the four perspectives of carrier, content, value, and institutional structure. These thoughts include truth expressed in literature, collection through compilation and arrangement, overall planning, clear division of re⁃ sponsibilities, rule the country with culture, cultivate talents, rule the public according to rules, spread widely. This provides a refer⁃ ence for finding the source of management thought and spiritual context of libraries with Chinese characteristics.【Innovation/limita⁃ tion】Through sorting out historical materials, we analyzed and sorted out the management thoughts contained in the official library. This process systematically and objectively presented a period of library management thought. However, the veracity and typicality of historical data is restricted by some conditions. Therefore, the content of the management thought we sorted out is limited.