• 2025-10-17

The 2025 Pacific Neighborhood Consortium (PNC) Annual Conference was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, from September 20 to 22. This year’s conference was hosted by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences. Centered on the theme “Mind Meets Machine: Rethinking Intelligence and Knowledge in the Age of AI,” the event explored how artificial intelligence is redefining the concepts of knowledge and intelligence, as well as the future directions of human-machine collaboration. Over the course of three days, the conference brought together more than a hundred distinguished scholars and experts from Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, China, Indonesia, and Malaysia, fostering in-depth scholarly exchange and discussion.

This year, the National Central Library organized and hosted Session 7: Human–AI Collaboration in Libraries, chaired personally by Director-General Han-Ching Wang. The session was held on September 21 from 10:45 to 11:15 a.m., bringing together scholars from Taiwan, Japan, and Vietnam to discuss emerging trends in the interaction between human expertise and artificial intelligence within libraries. The session featured four insightful presentations, each examining the applications of AI in library services, education, and knowledge management from different perspectives—including digital transformation, cultural knowledge preservation, bibliographic identification, and smart services.

Ngo Thi Huyen's (Chair of the Department of Library and Information Science, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City) presentation examined digital transformation challenges in private university libraries in Vietnam, revealing the complex interplay between content, service, workforce, and organizational transformation. Through comprehensive analysis of a private institution's journey, her work highlights the unique challenges faced by private universities, including financial constraints and human resource limitations, while emphasizing the critical role of staff development and institutional support in successful digital initiatives.

Wei-Ning Cheng's (Assistant Professor, Graduate Institute of Library and Information Studies, National Taiwan Normal University) presentation explored the innovative use of artificial intelligence and knowledge graphs for cultural heritage and scientific research. By moving beyond traditional information storage to dynamic knowledge visualization, this approach transforms libraries into active partners in meaning-making, enabling users to navigate complex relationships between concepts, texts, and research findings across disciplines.

Takumi Tamura, Takashi Harada, Hiroyoshi Ito, Atsuyuki Morishima, Yukihiro Fukusima, Minako Nishiura, and Sho Sato’s (seven scholars from Japan, representing the University of Tsukuba, Yashima Gakuen University, Gifu Women’s University, Keio University, and Doshisha University) presentation examined Conditions for Human Intervention in Library-Oriented Hybrid Bibliographic Identification. Takumi Tamura and colleagues proposed a hybrid bibliographic identification framework for interlibrary loans, combining rule-based filtering, machine learning, and human judgment. Their study identified high-risk cases—especially where titles are similar but authors differ—and shows that selective human intervention can achieve 99.7% accuracy with minimal effort.

Tze-ing Chang, Shih-Hsuan Wu and Fang-Ling Lin’s (National Taiwan Normal University Library) presentation introduce a “digital twin AI librarian” to enhance academic librarians’ instructional roles through asynchronous teaching. Using a design-based research approach, they fine-tuned a large language model to support information literacy education. Built on ChatGPT and integrated with automation tools, the AI agent demonstrated promising results in facilitating dialog, supporting learning, and extending librarians’ capabilities in the digital age.

In addition, Director-General Wang was also invited to serve as the chair of Session 5: Geo-Spatial AI & Environmental Analysis, held on September 20 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. This session focused on the application of artificial intelligence and geospatial data to environmental issues and sustainable development. Drawing on her extensive experience in international collaboration, Director-General Wang facilitated interdisciplinary dialogue among participants, fostering diverse partnerships and the exchange of knowledge.

During this year’s PNC Annual Conference, the National Central Library was invited for the first time by Academia Sinica to set up a “Taiwan Scholarly Achievements Display.” The exhibit showcased 120 titles (125 volumes) of humanities and social science research publications from Taiwan, highlighting the island’s rich accomplishments in Chinese studies and interdisciplinary scholarship. At the closing ceremony on September 22, Director-General Han-Ching Wang formally donated all the exhibited books to the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, symbolizing the deep academic and cultural ties as well as the ongoing collaboration between Taiwan and Vietnam.