Abstract:

In August 2022, the Harvard-Yenching Library welcomed its fourth director, Mr. YangJidong, who was interviewed by Dr. Kong Fanjing and Dr. Qian Lixiang, visiting scholars from theInstitute for Quantitative Social Science (IQSS) at Harvard University. Initially, Director Yang reviewedhis interdisciplinary research experience, shared insights from his management positions in severalesteemed U.S. colleges and universities, elucidated three opportunities in assuming the role of directorat the Harvard-Yenching Library, and disclosed the existing challenges in terms of space and staffing,along with the corresponding measures to address them. Subsequently, Director Yang introduced thecurrent status of construction and digitization efforts concerning special collections, such as rare books,within the Harvard-Yenching Library. He expounded upon the content and methodologies employed insubject services and expressed anticipation for changes in library service models in the post-pandemicera. Finally, Director Yang shared his perspectives on the utilization of metaverse technology in libraries,highlighting two prominent trends in the contemporary library industry: special collections and digitalhumanities. He appraised the digital humanities projects at both Harvard and Stanford Universities andprovided recommendations for the development of digital humanities in China.