Lecture—Connecting the World with Intelligence and Culture: Initiatives of the National Library of Korea(This event has ended.)

 As the National Library of Korea (NLK) celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2025, it has set forth in its annual major work plan the vision statement Connecting the World with Intelligence and Culture and is implementing a number of progressive measures in response to the current information environment.
 This year, with the National Diet Library (NDL) entering the final year of its five-year vision statement The Digital Shift at the National Diet Library, we have invited Dr. Kim Heesop, chief executive of the NLK, to provide us with ideas that will serve as a reference for future activities at the National Diet Library.
 The first part of the program features a lecture by Dr. Kim. He will talk about the activities and challenges of the NLK based on its 2025 Major Work Plan, and its future vision and outlook on the occasion of its 80th anniversary, including its AI application strategies, construction of learning data and AI literacy.
 The second part continues with a discussion between Dr. Kim and Ms. KURATA Keiko, director general of the National Diet Library. They will discuss the situation surrounding libraries in Korea and the future role of the NDL, using the content of Part I as a basis for the discussion.

*This lecture will be held in person and recorded for later release on the NDL YouTube channel.

• Leaflet (in Japanese) (PDF file: 748KB)
• Lecture material (in Japanese) (PDF file: 4.89MB)
• Lecture material (in Korean) (PDF file: 3.19MB)

Speakers

Dr. Kim Heesop, chief executive of the National Library of Korea
Dr. Kim received his PhD in computing and information sciences from Northumbria University at Newcastle in 2002. After working as a senior technology officer at the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute and as a professor of library and information science at Kyungpook National University, he assumed his current position in June 2024. His fields of interest include library and information science as well as computer science, especially in the areas of digital libraries and information retrieval.
In addition to his work in library sciences, he has served as a member of the National Records Management Committee (Standards Professional Committee) and Technical Committee of Information and Documentation (TC46) of the International Organization for Standardization. He is currently serving as a member of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, vice chair of the National Committee of the Republic of Korea for the 2026 World Library and Information Congress (Busan).

Ms. KURATA Keiko, director general of the National Diet Library
After serving as professor at the Keio University Faculty of Letters, as well as chair of the Graduate School of Letters and dean of the Faculty of Letters, she assumed her current position at the NDL in April 2024. She has been named an emeritus professor of Keio University and has served as a member of the National Diet Library Council on Organization of Materials on Science and Technology, vice president of the Japan Society of Library and Information Science, and an expert member of the Academic Information Committee of the Science and Technology Council of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Her fields of interest include scholarly communication and information media.

Facilitator

Mr. OBA Toshiyasu, director general of the Reader Services and Collections Department at the National Diet Library
Mr. Oba has worked at the National Diet Library since 1990. He was appointed director general of the Reader Services and Collections Department in April 2024 after holding key senior positions such as director general of the Digital Information Department, director of the Library Support Division, director of the Digital Library Division in the Kansai-kan, director of the Digital Information Distribution Division and the Digital Information Planning Division in the Digital Information Department, director of the Accounts Division and the Planning Division in the Administrative Department, and deputy director general of the Administrative Department.