As artificial intelligence (AI) increasingly permeates daily life, the role of libraries as centers of knowledge is being redefined.
Kim Hee-sop, director of the National Library of Korea, says libraries are more important than ever as “ethical guides and curators of information.”
During a recent interview with Yonhap News Agency, Kim said, “Now is the time when the value of libraries becomes even clearer, as AI becomes more naturally integrated into everyday life.”
Source: National Library of Korea (via Facebook)
Inside the library’s “AI Immersive Study,” which has been in pilot operation since March, readers can place a book on a digital table to instantly view summaries, keyword visuals, and even video introductions. By comparing two books, the system can generate topic-based comparison charts — making it possible to grasp key ideas in minutes without reading the full text.
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The library also plans to introduce an “AI agent” service to help users search for books more easily and receive personalized recommendations based on their reading patterns.
Kim said, “Our search service must evolve into an AI-based intelligent system. We are developing a specialized language model trained on our collection of about 14.6 million books.”
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area.
He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.
