On January 17, 2025, the inaugural symposium and editorial board meeting for iLibrary, an English-language academic journal focused on intelligent library research, was held in a hybrid format at the Lecture Hall of Tsinghua University Library. Over 30 attendees, including editorial board members and staff, participated in the meeting to collectively deliberate on the journal's development path. The meeting was chaired by Prof. Jianbin Jin, Editor-in-Chief of the journal and Director of Tsinghua University Library.
Scene at the meeting
Prof. Maosong Sun, Chair of the Editorial Board and Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Tsinghua University, delivered the opening remarks. Prof. Sun reflected on three major technological waves that have shaped the evolution of libraries, noting that technological advancement has consistently driven transformations in how information and knowledge are disseminated. He emphasized that in the era of artificial intelligence, physical libraries face significant challenges, and the library and information science community must proactively adapt and innovate to ensure its continued significance. The launch of iLibrary carries profound practical significance and contemporary value, providing an important platform for exploring innovation and transformation in library and information science.
Ms. Rui Yang, Deputy Director of the Journal Publishing Center at Tsinghua University Press, introduced the journal's preparatory progress, publication plan, and its integration with SciOpen, Tsinghua University's academic publishing platform. She expressed confidence that with the support of the Press and the platform, iLibrary is well-positioned to develop into an internationally recognized, high-quality academic journal in library and information science.
Prof. Jianbin Jin presented a progress report on the journal. He noted that a systematic review of comparable journals revealed a gap in English-language publications focusing on intelligent or smart libraries in China, underscoring both the necessity and timeliness of launching iLibrary. Hosted by Tsinghua University, with academic support from Tsinghua University Library and published by Tsinghua University Press, iLibrary is an open access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing theoretical, methodological, and practical research on intelligent libraries. Positioned as an international, interdisciplinary platform, the journal spans library and information science, computer science, data science, digital humanities, communication studies, and related fields. A phased development plan has been established, aiming to significantly enhance academic impact and achieve indexing in major international databases within three to five years.
Ms. Li Zhang, Director of the Journal Publishing Center at Tsinghua University Press, congratulated the successful launch of iLibrary. She stated that the Press and the SciOpen platform will continue to provide high-quality publishing services and leverage AI-powered multilingual tools to enhance the journal's international reach. A focused scope, quality submissions, and a robust academic base, she noted, are the cornerstones of journal sustainability and international database indexing.
The iLibrary Editorial Board comprises 21 members from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, the United States, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Singapore, Germany, and Denmark. The board comprises directors of world-class university libraries, heads of international organizations, and leading scholars in Library and Information Science, Computer Science, and Journalism and Communication, all of whom bring extensive international experience and professional expertise. During the discussion session, board members engaged in in-depth exchanges on topics including the journal's scope, thematic planning, manuscript solicitation, and international dissemination, offering constructive suggestions on enhancing the journal's impact, ensuring academic quality, and fostering international collaboration.
A total of 18 editorial board members attended the meeting, with 8 participating on-site and 10 joining online. Attendees included (in alphabetical order by surname): Colleen Campbell (Head of external engagement in the OA transition at the Max Planck Digital Library (MPDL), Germany), Liang Chen (Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, China), Songphan Choemprayong (Associate Director, Office of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand), Tianfang Dou (Deputy Secretary, Tsinghua University Library, China), Jianbin Jin (Director of Tsinghua University Library, China), Benjamin Meunier (University Librarian, Chinese University of Hong Kong Library, China), Natalie Pang (University Librarian, National University of Singapore Library, Singapore), Kate Robinson (IATUL President; University Librarian, University of Bath Library, United Kingdom), Cenyu Shen (China Regional Head, Deputy Head of Editorial for Quality, DOAJ, Denmark), Maosong Sun (Professor, Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, China), Di Wang (Associate Professor, School of Information Resource Management, Renmin University of China, China), Shirley CW Wong (University Librarian, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library, China), Long Xiao (University Librarian, Macau University of Science and Technology Library, China), Le Yang (Associate Librarian, University of Oregon Library, United States), Tao Yang (Associate Librarian, University of Hong Kong, China), Chengyu Zhang (Development and Research Department, Tsinghua University Library, China), Zhixiong Zhang (Associate Director, National Science Library, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China), and Zihui Zhang (Deputy Director, Zhejiang University Library, China).
Editorial Board Discussion Session
Mr. Minyang Jiao, Journal Editor at Tsinghua University Press, along with representatives from Tsinghua University Library and relevant departments, also attended the meeting.
About the Journal
iLibrary (eISSN: 3106-552X) is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal hosted by Tsinghua University, with academic support from Tsinghua University Library and published by Tsinghua University Press, operating independently on the SciOpen platform.
iLibrary focuses on innovation and transformation in intelligent libraries and digital knowledge services, dedicated to building an international, interdisciplinary academic platform bridging library science, information science, and communication studies. The journal publishes cutting-edge empirical, methodological, and conceptual research related to intelligent libraries, covering areas including but not limited to artificial intelligence, digital humanities, open science and open access, digital scholarship and communication, big data and cloud computing, data mining and data governance, knowledge management, recommendation and personalization, and digital literacy.
By adopting an open access publishing model, the journal aims to break down traditional barriers to scholarly communication, promoting the efficient global circulation and broad sharing of research outputs to advance the high-quality development of intelligent libraries.
