Experts column on digital humanities: unlocking potential of DH by riding the tide of digital transformation: the dialog between Wei Liu and Xuemao Wang

摘要

Participants:Dr. Wei LiuDeputy Librarian of Shanghai Library, ChinaDean Xuemao WangCharles Deering McCormick University Librarian and Dean of Libraries, Northwestern University, USAHost:Dr. Jiale RenManaging Editor of Digital Transformation and SocietyBefore this workshop, a list of eight questions proposed by several experts, delineating topics about digital humanity and digital transformation, was presented by the host. However, during the dialog, Dean Wang and Dr. Liu suggested a more constructive and unstructured way to discuss the theme. Therefore, the workshop was changed into a dialogue between these two scholars.L: I think the listed questions are inclusive but confined to the digital humanities (DH). The journal Digital Transformation and Society centres on digital transformation (DT). In fact, I think Wang is familiar about DT in academic circles and colleges and universities in the US. He talks about digital scholarship all the time. I think a variety of new DT-centred topics can be discussed in areas such as education, scientific research, society and art. For instance, e-science, which is neither a topic in the DH nor in the digital social science field, is mostly explored in Europe.Moreover, I think few topics are available to be discussed in the DH field at home and abroad since little progress has been made in the field.W: I agree. Let us start the conversation on DH and extend the topic to DT, which covers a wider range. I saw robots in a row from the photos of Shanghai Library East. Have robots been applied to providing reference services there?L: Smart libraries are hot in China, ushering digital libraries into a whole new stage. Digital libraries, depending on IT and digital resources to provide services online, are influential in the process of library transformation. Along with the advancement of IT in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), smart and intelligent technologies are encouraged to be widely adopted in libraries in China. On one hand, AI is applied comprehensively to systems such as acquisition, automation of bibliography and entity recognition. On the other hand, intelligent technologies adopted in e-commerce such as the data middle platform, reader profiling, resource profiling, precision push and reading promotion are used widely across library services.More requirements are demanded on our platform as traditional systems, for example, IOS instant management system, cannot catch up with the changes. The Future of Libraries Is Open (FOLIO) is applied to replacing traditional library management systems. The Library of Congress has announced recently to use the FOLIO platform.Regarding in-library services, it has been underlined frequently that a variety of face-to-face activities such as science popularisation and makerspaces must be held in libraries to highlight the necessity for libraries in the society. What have been adopted widely across China-based libraries are the Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system, smart bookshelves, book checking robots, robot navigation and reservation. Those applications are rooted in a unified backstage management system.Robots have been applied to providing reference services for a while. In addition, AI has recently made rapid progress towards natural language processing. Self-services become common across co-centres. Libraries are considering promoting those technologies too.Digital humans, being AI-powered human-like virtual beings, are created in the metaverse. Shanghai Library is working on a digital human serving as a 3D librarian that can answer questions autonomously. The 3D librarian is more advanced than those robots providing reference services, which are enhanced with the capability of automatic speech recognition.In addition, in Shanghai Library, the robots offering reference services are loaded with answering engines with the knowledge base in the cloud. They are rooted in a unified backstage management system to make sure their answers