The National Library of Public Information (NLPI) is hosting the "2024 Asia-Pacific Public Library Forum," held grandly on May 16th at the NLPI. Representatives from both domestic and international regions, including South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan, participated in the forum. The forum focuses on two main topics: "The Application of Smart Technology in Library Services" and "Experiences of Library Service Characteristics in Various Countries."
Ms. Hsiang-ping Ma, the Director General of NLPI, emphasized that Taiwan, situated in the Asia-Pacific region, has the responsibility to focus on the development and thinking of public libraries in the Asia-Pacific region as an important partner in the area. Therefore, NLPI planned and held the 2024 Asia-Pacific Public Library Forum, also supported by the Global Industry-Academia Future Talent Cultivation Strategy Alliance. The aim is to establish Taiwan as a platform for the development and experience sharing of public libraries in the Asia-Pacific region.
In recent years, international discussions on the application of artificial intelligence have touched upon various fields. Public libraries, as venues for people's daily lives and lifelong learning, face new challenges in responding to the advent of the AI era and providing readers with higher-quality digital services to demonstrate the value of libraries. This forum, through discussions on common issues and future trends of public libraries, invited Dukjin Chang, the General Director of Seoul National University Library, to share "The Birth of LikeSNU: How Histories Become Data" and Professor Shu-hsien Tseng, Honorary Professor of Fo Guang University, to share "The Impact of COVID-19 on Libraries and the Digital Transformation of Public Libraries in Taiwan."
The forum focuses on two aspects: "Smart Technology Revolutionizing Library Services" and "An All-Around View of Public Library Services." Representatives from libraries in Singapore, South Korea, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Taiwan, including the organizing unit NLPI, Tunghai University, Taichung Public Library, Tainan Public Library, and Kaohsiung Public Library, shared diverse contents such as "Transforming Library Operations with Robotics" from the National Library Board Singapore, "Curation of Knowledge Information Resources" from the National Library of Korea, "Technology Boosting Reading: the New Era of Smart Library Services" from NLPI, and "Virtual Librarian Using ChatGPT" from Professor Jung-sing Jwo of Tunghai University. The National Library of Korea for Children and Young Adults shared "NLCY Library Services Using the Cutting-edge Technology," the National Library of Vietnam shared "Innovating Service Methods at the National Library of Vietnam," and the National Library of Malaysia shared "National Library of Malaysia: Towards Sustaining Lifelong Learning." Additionally, Taichung Public Library shared "Reading as a Catalyst to Boot City Development Toward Infinity," Tainan Public Library shared "Fresh Perspectives in Library: Fostering Knowledge Innovation and Inspiring Creative Imagination," and Kaohsiung Public Library shared "Utilizing Cross-field Cooperation to Create an Innovative Reading Services in Kaohsiung Public Library." The forum covered practical case studies on the application of smart technology in library services, reading promotion, and characteristics of library services, each session being highly engaging and receiving significant feedback.
NLPI is Taiwan's first national public library with both digital and physical dual-track reading capabilities and is responsible for guiding domestic public libraries. Recognizing the role of libraries in human society as bearers of knowledge inheritance and information dissemination, public libraries serve as leaders guiding people to explore knowledge, practitioners reducing digital divides, and promoters deeply cultivating nationwide reading. In recent years, due to the rapid development of ICT information, communication, and technology, people's reading habits have changed, and with the advent of the IoT era, library services have taken on a new form. By 2024, NLPI's establishment has been standing for over a hundred years, making the choice of holding the forum on May 15th, the day after its anniversary, significant. Through the sharing of the forum, library practitioners also have the opportunity to understand the development and practices of libraries in the Asia-Pacific region, rethink library management strategies, and serve as a reference for future operational directions.