Conference on AI-Enhanced Digital Libraries held at MANUU

Hyderabad: The Saiyid Hamid Library, Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) organised a National Conference on "AI-Enhanced Digital Libraries: Transforming Access and Discovery". Prof. Devika Madalli, Director, INFLIBNET Centre was the chief guest and Prof Syed Ainul Hasan, Vice-Chancellor, MANUU presided over the inaugural held this Monday.

In her address, Prof Devika Madalli highlighted the evolution of artificial intelligence and its profound impact on the library and information sector. She conveyed her vision for the future, where libraries would be at the forefront of technological advancement, fully integrating AI features to significantly enhance user experience and service delivery.

The Keynote speaker, Prof. Deepak Garg, Vice-Chancellor, SR University elaborated on the various applications of AI in libraries. He emphasised the importance of using AI to perform numerous tasks that would strengthen various library services.

In his presidential address, Prof. Syed Ainul Hasan emphasised the crucial role that libraries play in academic institutions, highlighting the responsibility of librarians as custodians of knowledge. He stressed the need for librarians to embrace and apply artificial intelligence to keep pace with the evolving demands of the digital age.

Prof. Sk. Ishtiaque Ahmad, Registrar proposed vote of thanks. The Conference Director, Dr Akhtar Parvez, former University Librarian, MANUU, who is currently heading Jamia Hamdard Library briefed about the conference. Dr Faisal Mustafa, Program Director and In-charge Librarian, MANUU delivered the welcome address.

Knimbus 4.0, a federated search engine was also launched on the occasion. Viplav Baxi, Chief Operating Officer of Knimbus Online provided a brief introduction to the new features of the product and encouraged participants to evaluate and implement it in their respective libraries.

The inaugural session was followed by panel discussions on "AI & Library Services" and "The Role of AI in Teaching, Learning, and Research."

In addition to MANUU faculty and research scholars, the conference witnessed the participation of library professionals from Bangalore, Gandhinagar, Visakhapatnam, Tiruchirappalli, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other cities.