CityU holds Seminar on Innovation of Reading Promotion in Academic Libraries in the Digital Intelligence Era
In celebration of the 45th anniversary of the City University of Macau (CityU), the university today hosted an academic symposium at its Taipa campus titled “Designing Reading, Reinventing the Paradigm: Seminar on Innovation of Reading Promotion in Academic Libraries in the Digital Intelligence Era”. The symposium spotlighted cutting-edge trends in library reading promotion, facilitated the exchange of best practices, fostered cross-sector collaboration, and aimed to jointly shape new models of reading promotion for the future.
Attendees at the opening ceremony included Tam Sio Wa, Acting Director of the Department of Higher Education of the Education and Youth Development Bureau (DSEDJ); CityU Vice Rector Zhou Wanlei; and CityU Pro-Rector Sou Kam Hung. Distinguished participants engaged in in-depth discussions on innovative pathways for university library reading promotion in the digital-intelligence era. They included Cheng Huanwen, vice chair of the Library Society of China; Li Donglai, director of the Reading Promotion Working Committee of the Library Society of China; Zhang Yan, deputy director of the Committee; Zhang Qiu, associate library director of Tsinghua University Library; Shen Juan, deputy library director of the Beijing Film Academy Library; Du Xiaojun, deputy library firector of Sichuan University Library; Li Rongtian, assistant to the library director of Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai); as well as university library directors and library professionals from both Mainland China and Macao.
In his opening remarks, Vice Rector Zhou Wanlei noted that against the backdrop of the deep integration of digital-intelligence technology and higher education, reading promotion in university libraries is undergoing a multifaceted transformation in philosophy, models, and practice. He emphasized that the symposium, themed “Designing Reading, Reinventing the Paradigm”, sought to explore new, future-oriented pathways for reading promotion through cross-regional and cross-institutional academic dialogue.
During the symposium, eight experts and scholars shared cutting-edge research findings and practical experience from perspectives including theoretical frameworks, technological applications, brand management, and the integration of aesthetic education. Their presentations were both theoretically profound and practically instructive. The eight talks as meticulously interconnected, steadfastly upholding the core values of libraries while delving into emerging technologies like AIGC. The sessions featured case studies of reading-promotion branding from Tsinghua University, Sichuan University, Harbin Institute of Technology, and the Beijing Film Academy, alongside distinctive local practices from CityU that draw on Macao’s multicultural context. A consensus emerged among participants: reading promotion in the digital-intelligence era must embrace technological innovation while remaining firmly grounded in a humanistic spirit, and it should harness design thinking to reinvent the paradigm of reading promotion.
Director Li Donglai of the Reading Promotion Working Committee of the Library Society of China delivered a presentation titled “Reading as a New Skill: Humanities Disciplines and Library Countermeasures amid the Great Transformation of Education.” He focused on the transformation of the humanities in the AI era, stressing that libraries must adhere to the core principle of “people serving people” and promote the advancement of reading literacy and the rediscovery of libraries’ own value. Vice Chair Cheng Huanwen of the Library Society of China shared his insights on “Reading: The Ultimate Guardian of the University Spirit and the Value of Libraries”. Taking the historical evolution of library intelligence as his point of departure, he emphasized the need, in the face of the AI wave, to uphold the university spirit and the core values of libraries, ensuring that technology serves people. Deputy Director Zhang Yan of the Reading Promotion Working Committee of the Library Society of China spoke on “Building a Reading Promotion System in Libraries Based on Documentary Resources”. Approaching the topic from the three dimensions of theory, practice, and efficacy, Zhang proposed constructing a systematic reading-promotion ecosystem centered on high-quality documentary resources. Associate Library Director Zhang Qiu of Tsinghua University Library shared the experience from a reading project of Tsinghua, showcasing an innovative model that combines “in-depth guided reading by renowned faculty” with “lightweight dissemination via short videos”, which has greatly stimulated reading interest among faculty, students, and the wider public. Deputy Library Director Shen Juan of the Beijing Film Academy Library focused on “Aesthetic Education and Reading: A Study of Inter-Library Cooperation Models for Reading Promotion Based on Aesthetic Education”, proposing a three-dimensional aesthetic education curriculum system and pointing out the need to strengthen inter-library cooperation to continuously deepen the aesthetic education functions of libraries. CityU Library Director Shi Limei shared the library’s approach, which is grounded in Macao’s multicultural context, of focusing on four major themes to drive the transformation of reading promotion from “information delivery” to “cultivating literacy”. Li Rongtian, Assistant to the Library Director of Harbin Institute of Technology (Weihai), shared innovative applications of AIGC technology in the operation of new media for university libraries, providing a replicable and scalable practical template for university library reading promotion in the AI era. Du Xiaojun, Deputy Library Director of Sichuan University Library, elaborated on a systematic approach to constructing bibliotherapy services at university libraries in the digital-intelligence era, using the “Bathing the Mind in the Fragrance of Books” project as a case study.
The symposium not only served as a high-level platform for academic exchange and collaboration between university libraries in Chinese Mainland and Macao, facilitating the sharing and cross-fertilization of professional experience, but also injected fresh momentum and provided new ideas for the flourishing development of university library reading promotion in the digital-intelligence era. It holds great significance for advancing the transformation and development of university libraries, contributing to nationwide reading, and promoting the high-quality development of higher education.
Source: CityU Library
